Dragon Maiden
by Nintendo Nut1
Summary: Shortly after Roy's selfdiscovery, another new Smasher arrives. Who could this girl, with striking red hair and bright blue eyes, be? How do the two link? Second installment of the Dragon series.
1. Solitary

A/N: Alright, I KNOW I have other stuff to do, but... Ah, I just had to get this up. Three Renegades is currently on hiatus, but Fiend Within is being worked on, as soon as I GET REVIEWS. I just wanted to get this up too. Gimme a break, ok? This has been on hold for too long. Let's get it started. Oh, and before I forget, this is the sequel to "Dragon Blood," so go read that first, please. :) I promise, it's a good read!

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**Dragon Maiden**

Chapter 1: Solitary

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They watched in silent awe as Roy searched through his things and pulled out a vial and pocket knife. Flipping out the tiny blade with a click, he pressed it against his fingertip and winced slightly as it broke skin and a thin trial of rust red blood curled around his finger. He took the vial with his free hand, tore of the cork with his teeth, and held the cut finger above the opening. The red nectar slowly dripped into the tube, drop by drop, until he felt the necessary amount was filled, to which he slipped it into a rack for a moment.

Sucking on his finger to stop it from bleeding, Roy snatched up the knife again and held it under the vial. Concentrating, he generated a small flame into the tip of the blade, hot enough to create a soft red glow under the glass. The blood bubbled and steamed, and with a few pops and fizzles, it faded into an olive green color.

Satisfied, Roy withdrew the knife and softly blew some of the steam and foam away before corking it and placing it in the delicate hands of Peach, decked in her white nurse dress.

"Here you go, purified dragon blood," he proclaimed casually, as if he did this frequently. "Clean and bring back the vial when you're done."

"Oh, Roy, you are a godsend!" Peach praised graciously. "So many of us would be unable to combat if not for your offerings!"

"It's no problem. I'm just glad to find some use for it."

Peach nodded, approaching the door. "Of course. Thank you so much."

"Uh-huh," Roy smirked. "Make sure to let Falcon know who saved his skin."

"Oh, you bet!" Peach giggled as she left his dorm. Roy chuckled softly and leaned back on his table, observing the thin scar already beginning to heal.

Grinning, Marth pushed out of his chair. "Well, there's another wound you're healing."

Link jumped off the bed. "Yeah! Call yourself butter, 'cause you're on a roll!"

Putting away the equipment he had acquired over the last few weeks, Roy burst into laughter. "Never heard _that_ one before!"

"Yep," Link grinned, observing his fingernails. "Took me all night to think of that!"

"Absolute genius," Marth muttered, launching an episode of laughter throughout the dorm, just like the friendly trio they were. Once it calmed down, Marth continued. "So, what's that, your bazillionth time you've donated your blood?"

Roy turned to give him an incredulous smirk. "Hey, you know firsthand how potent dragon blood is on wounds..." To prove his point, he leaned over and pulled up Marth's shirt sleeve. "Yoink."

Marth's gaze dropped down to the highly-noticeable scar running down his upper arm, the result of an accident that Melee Magic could not block. It was slightly green in color, as Roy had willingly donated his special blood to heal it. The moment it was applied, like an automatic adhesive, it sealed up the wound instantly, with no infection whatsoever.

Knowing all this, Marth glanced back up at the smile on Roy's face. "Well... yeah."

"And yoink!" Link announced, pushing back his golden bangs to show off a scar of his own: a small "x" on his forehead, coated in green as well.

Grinning and nodding at the elf, Roy turned back to Marth. "See?"

"Yeah, yeah..." He brushed off Roy's hand and pulled his sleeve down. "Don't have to announce it to the world."

"I just... I wanted to find _some_ sort of use for all this if I couldn't use it in combat..." Roy explained quietly, turning back to his table and staring at all his books and tools aimlessly.

Silence was exchanged between the blonde and cobalt, and they stepped forward, ready to comfort the half dragon if needed. "Roy..."

Roy lifted his head up, but did not turn. "...What do you guys think?"

They blinked. "About what?" Marth asked.

"Now that we know..." He gave them an unreadable gaze with bright cerulean eyes. "...do you see me any different...?"

"Oh, no!"

"Of course not!"

"We're your friends, Roy," Marth assured softly. "We don't care that your blood's different."

"Yeah! You're still the Roy we know and love!" Link grinned widely, putting an arm around Roy's shoulders. Getting an odd glance, Link sought to rephrase. "...er, I mean, in a brotherly way! Yeah!"

The elf's stupidity caused another round of laughter as Roy pushed him away, trying to make a disturbed face, but failing as a smile kept breaking its way through. The mamkute **(1) **loosened up in spite of himself; whenever he tried to be serious with these two, they'd always do something to cause laughs all around, no matter what the situation. To him, this was a very important issue, but he let it slide as he knew his friends were only trying to make his days a little brighter. And that's probably why, once they stopped, he was surprised when he was asked the next question.

"So... what's _really_ wrong?"

Roy gave Marth a confused look. "What...?"

The prince crossed his arms, but he remained patient and compassionate. "You already know how we feel about this. We've told you before."

"Yeah, something else eating at you?" Link asked, genuinely sincere.

"..." Roy became quiet and distant again as he stared at his boots, softly shuffling in the carpet. "...I...I know you guys don't see me any different... but I know the others do..."

"What do you mean?" Marth questioned, concerned.

"...the way they look at me... they way they see me... it's changed..." Roy muttered with little care of how strange he may have sounded. "...they see me as someone different... someone who can no longer fit in..."

"...Roy..."

"Aw, don't let them get under your skin, buddy," Link comforted, patting Roy on the back. "Unless they insult you. Then you come to us and we'll kick their ass for you."

Roy gave out a soft chuckle, and both turned to their elder friend for confirmation. Marth held up his hands defensively. "Hey, I can't make any promises!"

"Aw, come _on_, Marthy!" Link whined playfully, calling the Alteanian by a dangerous name. Roy laughed and Marth placed a hand on his hip near-defiantly. "Come on, how can you resist this face?" The Hylian gestured, and in response, Roy pouted with big ol' begging eyes of blue to match. Marth rolled his eyes and laughed.

"Okay, alright," he submitted to _the_ face. "I'll kick ass for Roy."

"Sweet!" Link clapped Roy in the chest, getting first a cough, then a laugh in return.

Shaking his head in dismay, Marth glanced at the clock. "It's almost dinnertime. You guys wanna head on down?"

Link nodded, whereas Roy turned back to his table. "I gotta put my crap away. You go ahead, I'll meet you guys there."

"Alright." The two left for the SSBM Mansion's cafeteria, leaving Roy alone to his clutter. He absentmindedly stored everything away in his drawers, lost in his thoughts. So lost he was that he knocked one of his books over. The book fell on its spine, flipping open to a random page. Roy sighed in annoyance, bending down to pick it up, but the passage it was open to caught his attention. Lifting it up, he read the small paragraph curiously.

_Unlike most myths, where they flock in "packs," dragons are known to be solitary creatures, relying on their own strength to survive. Only courtship, mating, and territorial disputes will bring any dragons together._ **(2)**

_Solitary..._ Roy repeated silently with a heavy heart. _Does that mean I'll be alone forever...?_

The half dragon sighed deeply as he shut the book and put it away. Yes, he technically had friends that cared about him, but none of them understood the importance of dragons to him. No one could comprehend the enchanting studies better than he could, and he knew no one would really want to make the effort to do so. And in this way, he felt small and alone, misunderstood among the masses...

That upsetting thought left him with one question: _Will I ever find someone like me...?_

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**(1)** Mamkute means "half-dragon," I believe. If I'm wrong, please correct me.

**(2)** My own excerpt, not copyrighted

A/N: Yep, this is a bit old, so it won't be a great one. There ARE 12 chapters, though... T.T Hooray. I can't WAIT to type them all up. XD Please review!


	2. Someone Like Him

A/N: Hooray! Attention is being brought to this fic! Well, then, I guess I better update!

FullMetalEdward(a.k.a. Kim): HEY!

Roy: Who didn't invite us to the party?

Oh, whoops, sorry. I forgot. My bad.

Ed: Like HELL! You don't LIKE US! (sniff)

Link: (looks around) Hey, where's Matthew?

Eliwood: I think he wisely ran away during the break.

Kim: CURSES! ...oh well. :) (squeezes Roy)

Roy: ACK!

XD Okay, down to business. The original character that will be introduced is... well, original. You steal you die. :) And please don't mistake this for a Mary Sue. I tried my best not to make it one, but if it's got the qualities of one, it's not my intention. So don't flame me based on that, please. ANYDANGWAYS, let's get going.

All: WOOHOO!

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Chapter 2: Someone Like Him

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The next morning, Roy was contently sleeping in his bed, blankets cast away and body curved inwardly, near-mimicking the sleeping position of a dragon itself. The self-doubts were stowed away as his mind traveled through Dreamland, flying through the clouds upon leathery wings...

"_Attention all Smashers..._"

In an instant, Roy was yanked out of Dreamland, awaking groggily. "Mmmzph... wha...?" he moaned, smacking his lazy lips.

"_Attention all Smashers. Today is the arrival of the newly-recruited Smasher at noon. Again, the new Smasher arrives today at noon._"

Roy blinked. "...mmm... right, new Smasher..." he mumbled, flopping down into his pillow to fall back asleep. It took a while, but at last the information fully passed through his brain, and his eyes snapped open.

"Huh? New Smasher?" he cried out, leaping out of his bed. Without a second thought, he darted out of his dorm and down the hallway, approaching a certain door and throwing it open.

There, inside the dorm, were Link and Marth, their attention snapping from their video game to the door. Roy had known they would be here; every morning the two woke up and dressed themselves, then met in Link's dorm for a little SSBM gaming action to awaken their battle senses after a night's rest. It was a sort of warm-up for their instincts, a little practice they considered as strategy.

So maybe that was why their instincts were a little on high as they stared at their excited friend, standing at the door, in his boxer shorts.

Marth blinked. "...uh...Roy?"

"Guys, is there a new Smasher coming today?" he asked quickly.

"Um, yeah, that's what the announcements just said," Link responded, brow arched.

Roy heard this answer, expecting himself to get excited, but then he calmed down and wondered why he had gotten so worked up. "...oh, right... that's cool..."

"What was all that slamming for then?" Link asked, resuming as the two turned back to the game while still listening.

"I dunno... Ah, I think it just took me by surprise, that's all..."

Marth glanced at Roy without turning his head. "They've been announcing it for a week, Roy."

"WHAT?"

"HEY!" Marth gawked at the screen while Link laughed triumphantly. "Aw, dude, that was so cheap!"

"Your fault for not paying attention!"

"You punk! I want a rematch!"

Ignoring their quarrel, Roy continued his rant. "How come _I_ didn't know?"

"Cause you were asleep, duh," Link stated boldly as they selected settings for the next match.

"Well...!" Roy searched for an excuse, then stood defiantly. "Well, then, how come I was awake today, huh?"

"You tell us!" Link chuckled.

"Yeah, we're surprised you're up this early!"

Roy opened his mouth to rebuttal, but it was left suspended as he could pull out no more excuses. He sulked, announcing his surrender, the two laughed, and the debate was over. Coming back to himself, Roy yawned.

"So..." he got out as he let the yawn pass. "New Smasher, huh? Wonder who it is...?"

As the match started, Marth leaned against the bedside, focusing on the screen as he voiced his opinion. "Well, as long as he's not a power-crazed lunatic, he's fine by me."

"Actually, I heard it's a girl." The game paused and Link looked at Marth, puzzled. "...what?"

"It's a girl?" the prince asked irritably. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I just found that out." A blast was suddenly heard, and Roy laughed as Link turned back to the screen. "Oh, what? HEY! NOT COOL!"

Marth grinned. "You had that coming." As the fight continued, so did his questioning. "So, what else didya find out?"

"Nothing we don't already know. I couldn't get anything else out of Mario." The game was paused again, and Link didn't have to look up to know he was in trouble. "...oops."

"Link, you moron!" Marth scolded. "I told you not to ask him! What the heck's the matter with you?"

"I wanted to _know_..." Link whined, and the cobalt growled and rolled his eyes in dismay. Roy laughed and sat down beside Marth to watch the fight continue, crossing his legs oddly. Marth noticed and subtlety pushed one bare leg farther away.

"So... a girl, huh...?" Roy sighed, oblivious to all but his own thoughts. "I wonder what she's like..."

Marth, in a awkward position, spoke out, "Well... if you wanna make a good first impression, you _might_ wanna put some pants on."

Slowly, Roy's focus came back, and he stared downwards, grinning. "Oh, _yeeeeahh..._ Not a bad idea..." he muttered, dragging himself up off the floor. "I'll meet you guys at breakfast."

Marth smiled as Roy began to leave. "Yeah, sure thing, buddy. See you there."

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"Come on, guys! It's almost noon!"

"I wonder if she's strong?"

"Betcha she's hot. I know she'll totally fall for me!"

"Yeah, you wish she would, Falcon."

"Grr, you shut up!"

The three swordsmen observed the busy Foyer at five minutes to noon, each deciding to keep to their own thoughts. Roy noticed the vague similarities within the excitement the Smashers shared. Some things never change.

_Except Falcon's learned other vocabulary besides "Grr,"_ he noted to himself with a smirk.

And so the excited buzz continued. It continued for quite a long time, until someone finally realized an entire hour had passed.

"...GrrrrRAGH! WHERE IS SHE?"

"She's probably just... lost..."

"Yeah, lost!"

"How stupid!"

"Now, don't go insulting...!"

Absolute silence filled the grand room as the door shut behind a figure, light in shape and slightly smaller than a normal teenager.

"Oh... am I late?"

No one responded to this question, and nervously, she stepped inside. They all stared at her and observed her appearance.

She was a girl in her mid-teens, with a young face that reflected vitality and kindness. Her red hair was left wild, tied to the side with a green scarf and blue-green feathers, her bangs falling over and the back at chin length. She wore a green and beige halter-tunic, with lime green, detached sleeves, all stitched loosely as if made herself. Under the short bottom were darker green shorts, her bare legs ending at soft brown boots. The top of her tunic was cut off by a broach embedded with a variety of precious gemstones, holding a small light blue cape that only reached her waistline. A loose belt on her hip held a slim sword of simple, light design. Her azure eyes glanced over the crowd unsurely, yet she failed to show her nervousness physically as she stood stiff in a light, well-conditioned body.

While most glanced at her curiously and other, more inappropriate, ones whistled softly through their teeth, Roy was left to gaze at this girl numbly, jaw left open and eyes fixed on that face... that lovely face, full of youthful complexity that for some reason tugged Roy in like a fish caught on the line. And, of course, it left him with the most stupefied look that was easily noticed.

"Roy?" Link whispered, waving his hand and snapping his fingers in front of the boy's face. "Yo, Roy! You there?"

Unaware of all the attention, the girl strolled in casually as Mario stepped up to greet her. "Ah, you're here at last! We were beginning to wonder where you were!"

"I am so sorry, there was an errand I had to do," she explained in a breathy, musical voice that was lighter than air. "I hope I haven't caused any trouble..."

"Oh, no, no, it's alright," Mario waved it off, giving her a welcoming smile. "So, you're Ryka, from the Woodwill Forests, right?"

"Mmm-hmm," she nodded, relaxing and returning a sweet smile that nearly made Roy melt.

"Well, then, welcome to Super Smash Brothers, Ryka!" Mario outstretched his hand, and was delighted when the girl took it in a firm handshake. It seemed like he had made a much better choice of a new recruit this time. The last recruitment was no where near as pleasant as this.

"Okay!" Highly excited, Mario moved to her side, leading her within. "How about we get the paperwork done before lunch, huh?"

"Sounds good to me," Ryka agreed, walking past the Smashers as they only continued to stare at her. Falcon stared at her behind until Peach delivered a good slap to the back of his head.

But none of this seemed to matter to Ryka as she gazed around casually, noting each Smashers' face. But she stopped at one face: a teenage boy, with flaming red hair and sapphire eyes staring back. Noticing her glance, he made a small yelp and looked away, his cheeks burning with a blush. She smiled as she made a mental note to meet him later on.

Once she was gone, silence followed in a brief, awkward moment. Then an uproar began shortly thereafter.

"Wow, cool!"

"Alright! More girl Smashers! Girl power!"

"Did you see her sword?"

"I'd like to take my sw..." Slap! "...ow."

"Falcon, you pervert!"

As random conversations took the Smashers by storm, the three swordsmen stood apart from the mess, allowing the news to transfer through their minds before expressing their opinions.

"...Huh." Marth spoke first, staring off in the direction she had left. "...interesting."

"Wow..."

"She seems like a nice person," Link mused. "Much better than Vanuto, that's for sure."

"Wow..."

"Too true," Marth agreed. "How 'bout you, Roy? ...Roy?"

"...Wow..." Roy squeaked, staring off into space.

Link smirked. "I think it's pretty clear where Roy is on the subject."

"Oh, great," Marth rolled his eyes and grinned, patting Roy on the shoulder. "You poor, hopeless loverboy."

"She's like... wow..."

"Ah, don't worry about him, Marth," Link waved it off. "She looks like a nice girl. I think he's safe."

"Heh, yeah... right..." In fact, Marth had no clue why, but he became genuinely worried for Roy, whom he treated like a younger brother, almost. He saw no reason to _be_ worried; it was just a little crush, and if Roy really _was_ in love, Ryka seemed like a compatible companion, with her swordplay and out-going, open nature. But there was still a nagging feeling that bothered Marth relentlessly.

The Alteanian decided to ignore the nagging feeling for now and see how things turn out.

"I can't wait to meet her..." Roy sighed dreamily.

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A/N: Haha, falling for the new girl. I'm so cliché.

Roy: Pfft. Ooshy gooshy mushy love! EW!

Don't worry, it won't last too long, I promise. The dragon business will be back soon.

Kim: Hooray! (glomping Eliwood)

Eliwood: WAH! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!

Ed: Kim's an IT? O.o EWWW, WEIRD!

Link: -.- (sits in his lonely, sane corner)

Yay! Review please!


	3. Meeting the Maiden

A/N: Man... I REALLY need to get this story MOVING...

Ed: What's up with her?

Link: She's already writing the SEQUEL to this sequel, and she wants to get it up.

Ed: O.o Seriously?

Roy: Well, then, SHE BETTER GET MOVING! (smack)

OW! DANGIT! KIM, TAME YOUR LACKEY!

Kim: (ties a dog muzzle around Roy) Done and done. :)

Roy: ;.;

Eliwood: THAT'S ANIMAL CRUELTY!

Roy: ...uh... Dad? I'm not a...

NO MORE TIME! LET'S UPDATE!

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Chapter 3: Meeting the Maiden

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Lunch had come swiftly, and the cafeteria was bustling with excited and chatting Smashers. Ryka slipped in unnoticed due to all the hysteria, and she preferred it that way. She served herself swiftly, then peered around the tops of tables, searching for a certain face, and at last, she found it.

There was the cute redhead, dining with a young cobalt (wearing similar clothes) and a blonde elf, obviously friends of his. Ryka was fine with that; the more friends she gained here, the better.

Mustering up her courage, Ryka strolled on over behind the redhead so he couldn't see her. The other two noticed her first, the elf smiling and the cobalt slightly hesitant. Noticing the change, the redhead turned and yelped slightly just as she sat down next to him. As she settled, Ryka gave him a smile, and he blushed again, looking away with a small, shy smile.

"...H...Hi," he greeted timidly with a tiny wave.

"Hi!" Ryka responded cheerfully, addressing the whole group. "How's everybody doing?"

"Can't complain," the elf answered wily, twirling his fork and popping a bite of his meal into his mouth.

Ryka laughed at his antics, an energetic laugh that made Roy's heart leap. "Well, in case any of you live under a rock, my name's Ryka."

"Name's Link," the elf gestured to himself, then to the cobalt next to him with his fork. "This punk's Marth." He rolled his eyes. "And the shy one next to you is Roy."

Ryka turned to Roy, who fidgeted slightly but bravely faced her, trying to remain calm even though his face madly blushed the shade of his hair.

Then it dawned on her. Red hair, blue eyes...

"So, Ryka," another voice broke her train of thought, and she faced Marth. "What sort of thing do you do?"

"Oh, well, I travel around a lot, get in a few skirmishes with bad guys, the regular stuff..." she answered offhandedly.

"What do you fight for?"

Ryka sat up confidently. "I fight for the preservation of Earth's natural beauties."

"...That's cool." A small voice turned her attention back towards Roy. "...It's good to know somebody really cares."

Ryka smiled at this. "Thanks. Do you?"

"Recently I have..."

"I see," she nodded in acknowledgement.

"Woodwill Forests... That's somewhere in Europe, isn't it?" Marth asked.

Ryka nodded. "In Ireland."

"Ireland? Neat!" Link grew interested. "So, how were you raised up in the forests?"

All of the sudden, Ryka became hesitant. "Ah... I... would rather not... um..."

"S'no problem," Roy interrupted her for a reason not even he knew. When given odd looks, he shrank slightly, embarrassed. And yet Ryka was glad, as the subject of her backgrounds was dropped.

She glanced down and realized she had cleaned her plate of her meal. She stood and addressed them, "Well, it was nice meeting you guys. I'll be looking forward to seeing how you guys battle this afternoon."

"Same to you," Link waved as she began to leave. "See ya later, Ryka!"

Ryka waved back, noticing Roy's shy wave and small smile. She flashed her own smile, and one could visibly see his chest puff up like a bullfrog's in excitement of her noticing him. When she left, Roy was left staring in the direction from whence she disappeared, half-expecting her to waltz back through the doorway any minute now.

Marth sighed and shook his head. "You're hopeless, Roy."

"She... smiled at me..." the boy preened dreamily.

"I don't know..."

"She seems alright," Link voiced his opinion. "And I can understand if she's quiet about her past. Some people are just uncomfortable with it."

This only raised Marth's suspicions. "That means she's got something to hide. I don't like it."

"Well, we _just_ met her, Marth," the Hylian muttered. "Give her time and she may tell us later. Stop being so paranoid."

Of course, that made perfect sense; Ryka needed to trust her new friends before she could tell them her secrets. It was reasonable enough, and it should've eased Marth's nerves, but some part of the prince was stubborn in believing Ryka was holding deep, dark secrets. With two viewpoints laid out before him, Marth wasn't sure what to believe or what action to take...

And then he glanced at Roy, turned back to the table and ignoring his food as he stared off aimlessly with a lovesick grin on his face. One could near-see the twinkle in his peacock eyes and the little pink hearts dancing around his head as it was obvious where his thoughts were wanderings towards.

Seeing this, seeing the possibilities of an actual relationship for Roy, which could possibly help push away the half-dragon's sense of loneliness, Marth was forced to dismiss his suspicions for now, simply for the sake of his young, hopelessly smitten friend. But he'd keep a lookout anyway. Just in case.

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A/N: Hooray. Short chapter.

Roy: But it's TOO short! Mmph! (whimpers as Kim pulls the muzzle tight)

Eliwood: That's IT! You'll hear it from me and PETA! (runs away)

Kim: PETA? What's that?

Link: Sounds like a nutritious breakfast cereal, like Special K or something.

Ed: Actually, it's a protection group for animal rights.

Kim: ...(narrows eyes) Well, YOU would know, _nerd_.

Ed: -.-

Okay, ANYWAYS, that's not my problem. This STORY is. :P Sorry for the short update. Please review it anyway!


	4. Could She Be?

A/N: HA! Fooled ya! Here's ANOTHER chapter!

Kim: (holding muzzle) And I was kidding about the muzzle too. FOOLED YA, FOOLS.

Roy: It was pretty real to ME... (rubs jaw)

Eliwood: (appears) Hey, guys.

Link: AHHH(hides)

Eliwood: I forgot what PETA was, so I came back.

Ed: -.- Ingenious.

Eliwood: Thank you:)

ONTO CHAPPIE!

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Chapter 4: Could She Be...?

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Roy leaned over the barrier under the Screentron, watching Link and Marth's match with little interest. His thoughts were constantly wandering over to the new Smasher as he delighted in fantasies of what would happen if he actually gained the courage to talk to her. Several times he recited to himself what he would say to her, scolding himself whenever he uttered a stupid pick-up line. Once more, he tried again, this time with a more casual approach.

"Okay... um... Uh, hey there, Ryka... How's it... no... How's your day been?" he elaborated to himself.

"Pretty good! That Captain Falcon's a major pain in the tail, though."

Roy yelped like a puppy whose tail had been stepped on, and turned to face Ryka herself, leaning on the barrier beside him. She laughed innocently as Roy blushed and tried to get a hold of himself.

"Um, ah... Yeah, Falcon's an ass," he hastily agreed, yet cringed at his use of foul language around such a female. But all she did was laugh in response.

"Anyone else I should be worried about?"

"Well..." Roy seriously considered this, even though she might've just been kidding. "Bowser will set you on fire if you get him mad... Ganondorf will vaporize you if you get _him_ mad...Oh, and so will Samus if you call her a guy."

Once more, Ryka laughed innocently, and Roy began to loosen up and relax. He hadn't planned for something like this at all, but let all the recitings he had in his head disappear and focused on actually being himself for her.

"But yeah, everyone else is pretty decent," Roy sighed as he let go of a breath he didn't know he had been holding. "And the kids are _really_ hyperactive."

Ryka nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."

Roy nodded himself, not quite knowing what else to say. when she didn't say anything either, he turned to realize she was staring _right_ at him. He felt his chest inflate in shock briefly, but those eyes of sapphire that matched his dared him not to look away, not to resist. A gentle silence was exchanged between the two as Ryka analyzed his cute face and Roy admired her beautiful features.

Too soon, the silence was broken by the hum of the teleporters as two of them opened, and Link and Marth stepped out simultaneously. The elf sulked playfully while the prince regarded him with a smirk.

"I win again," Marth proclaimed. "What's the matter, losing your edge?"

"You're too fast!" Link accused, poking an oh-so-deadly finger at Marth's breast plate. "You need to slow down!"

"Or maybe _you_ just need to speed up."

Link grumbled under his breath, but the sight of Ryka brightened up his features. "Oh! Hey, Ryka!"

Ryka smiled and waved in greeting.

Marth grew slightly suspicious, wondering how long she was alone with Roy, but against his better judgment, he pushed the suspicions away for now. "Have you had any battles yet?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah, some good ones too," she answered, beginning to count off her fingers. "I fought with Mario first... Then Fox, he was pretty good... Oh, and then Captain Falcon. The slimeball was more focused on hitting on me than fighting, though."

"Typical," Link chuckled. "So, what's up?"

"I wanted to fight a fellow swordsman," she responded, patting the hilt of her thin sword. "If any of you don't mind..."

"Ooh, me! Me! Me me me!" Link raised his hand like an eager student wishing to show off his knowledge.

"_You?_" Marth countered with a smirk. "You're the worst of us!"

Link glared his way. "Am not!"

"Liar."

"I know who you are, but what am I?"

"A liar."

"Takes one to know one!"

"You're still a liar."

As the two bickered, they went unnoticed by Roy and Ryka, who went back to simply staring at each other in the most serene way. To them, Link and Marth's debating voices were far away, if not non-existent.

"I just wanna _try_ the new Smasher out, what's your problem?"

"Oh, stop being sick-minded."

"Dude! That's not what I was thinking about at _all_! _You're_ the sick-minded one!"

Roy had to admit, he was undeniably smitten with this girl. He didn't know what it was that made Ryka different from other females, but he knew whatever it was, it succeeded in drawing him in and drowning him in her beauty.

"Oh... fine."

"_Yes!_" Link's cry of triumph broke their exchange again, and, almost reluctantly, Ryka turned away from Roy and faced the Hylian. "Time or Stock?"

"Um... One Stock's okay," Ryka answered quietly, forcing out a smile.

After changing the settings, the two competitors respectfully bade each other good luck and stepped into the teleporters. With a soft glow, they were gone. Roy sighed, wishing the exchange would've lasted a bit longer as he and Marth glanced up as the Screentron flickered on. There, Link and Ryka appeared on the Termina Great Bay, both drawing steel. Ryka took on a most casual pose, holding the sword's hilt loosely in her dainty fingers.

"Ready... GO!"

And the second afterward, the girl sped forward and swiped her sword at her opponent. Link barely had enough time to raise his shield to block the attack, and even then he grunted as the force of the blow knocked him back slightly, his boots skidding across the gravel. Ryka withdrew and flipped back, landing on the turtle nimbly.

"Wow," Marth spoke up. "She's fast. And strong."

Roy watched this carefully. That kind of strength and speed combination in such a small figure didn't seem humanly possible, not at all.

Link smirked at Ryka, falling back into his defensive stance as she pushed off her heels with great momentum to push her forward swiftly. As she approached, he whipped out his boomerang and chucked it her way with a rough toss. Seeing it coming, Ryka rolled forward to dodge it, and then as it came back, still kneeling from the end of her roll, she reached up and snatched it from the air, without even opening her eyes. Link gaped in surprise.

Soon, her eyes snapped open after some deep concentration, and she tossed it back. Link himself caught it, but seconds later he yelped and dropped it, sizzling slightly as if Ryka's touch had made it fiery-hot. Link stared at it as if expecting it to explode.

"Whoa..." Marth leaned on the barrier in anticipation. "How did she do that...?"

Ryka fairly gave her opponent time to pick up the object and tuck it away, and Link did so while eyeing her cautiously. To the elf, this was a warning against using long-ranged weapons against her, so he shifted his strategy to pure swordplay as he rushed in to attack. She swiftly blocked that blow, and for a few minutes, the two exchanged strikes, sparks flying as steel struck steel. It looked more like a sparring match than a Smash fight.

Soon, they broke off, standing on either side of the center platform. Link smirked as he noticed her heavy breathing, whereas he was just getting started. Ryka could tell this kind of combat would get her nowhere closer to victory; perhaps now it was time to use her special power...

She took a firm stance, shutting her eyes to concentrate her energy and tell it where to go. As it traveled down her arm, her small sword began to softly glow, and then small embers began to leap from the blade as the energy radiated outwards. With the full extent of her power within the sword, Ryka's eyes snapped open, and she rushed at a surprised Link and attacked.

Roy regarded this in shock as he watched the sword fly about in her hand, each swipe its own tiny inferno. And as that snapped him out of his lovey-dovey trance, he finally noticed that red hair and those blue eyes of hers. He silently cursed himself silly for not seeing it before.

"Uh... Roy...?" Marth blinked, almost afraid to ask what was wrong as the mamkute repeatedly bonked his forehead against the metal bar, quietly cursing to himself. "...you okay?"

Stopping, Roy sighed. "...yeah. M'alright."

Marth stared at his friend curiously, wondering what that was all about. Then an explosion and a familiar scream turned his attention back up.

"GAME! That game's winner is... RYKA!"

"Oh... guess she won."

The teleporters glowed once more, and the two stepped out, Link stringing together such colorful language that would've made Captain Falcon blush. Ryka, however, only laughed.

"_Curse you fast people!_" Link shouted into the air, shaking a fist. "Curse your...fastness!"

Ryka chuckled. "Aw, sorry I'm so fast." She extended a hand. "But that was a good battle. Thanks a lot for the challenge."

Link looked at the hand, then calmed himself down, took it in a handshake, and smiled. "Heh, right, no problem. Keep practicing."

Ryka nodded and turned to Roy, who seemed to look at her differently now, no longer in a lovesick stupor, but in a thoughtful state, as if watching the fight had made him realize her secret for himself. But even so, the girl faced him bravely.

"Hey, uh..." Roy started hesitantly, rubbing the back of his neck. "G-good fight."

"Thanks." When he didn't continue, she raised her eyebrows. "...Was there something else, then?"

"Ah, um..." Roy sighed. "Okay... we gotta talk."

Ryka blinked. "...we do?"

"Yeah... Could you meet me on the roof later tonight, after dinner...?" he asked timidly.

"Sure," she answered frankly, giving him a smile. He returned it gratefully.

"Thanks. Really."

"See you then." She bid him goodbye and went on her way to search for one more competitor before the arenas closed for the night. Roy watched her go silently, letting go of his tense breath.

"...and that's why I keeping telling you to drop all that stuff!" Marth explained to Link, losing his patience over the elf's ridiculous ranting. "All your equipment weighs you down, and that's why you're slow!"

"Well...!" Link searched for a suitable argument, but when he found none, his shoulders slumped in defeat. "Oh... alright, I'll try it out once... But then what'll I do for Special moves?"

"We'll figure something out," Marth sighed, glad that his pal wasn't so stubborn this time around. He glanced around idly. "Where'd Ryka go?"

"She went to go squeeze in one more match before dinner, I think," Roy answered, blowing out an exasperated rush of air as he leaned on the barrier.

"Say, what were you two doing during our match?"

"Hmm? Oh, just talking," the boy replied softly, eyes spaced out. But the look of a hopeless loverboy had evaporated to be replaced by a pensive, reflective face. Marth was confused as to what that meant.

"...Alright." The prince let the subject go for now, though he placed it in the back of his mind to fish up later. He knew there was something that Roy wasn't telling him, but he also felt that he had no right to pry answers out of the Pherean. Left in a standstill between gut instinct and rational thought, Marth was forced to once again hold himself back and simply wait for something to happen.

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A/N: Ugh... this fic is OLD... there was MAJOR proofreading between my rough draft and this copy.

Roy: (robotically) Your Skill has increased by 2 points. :)

There, see? Ryka's got her weakness: she has low resilience in swordplay. Ha, so there. No Mary Sue in sight!

Link: Or else we'd have to test out this baby. (pulls out the Mary Sue Bazooka)

Eliwood: ...we have a weapon against Mary Sues? NO ONE TELLS ME ANYTHING ANYMORE! ;o;

Kim: We also have a weapon for ROWDY LACKEYS. (lifts up muzzle)

Eliwood: Meep! (cowers)

Ed: So much for animal or human rights.

Bah. I digress. Please review!


	5. A Companion at Last

A/N: Hooray! Let's get this story back moving!

Link: WHY DOES EVERYONE WANT ME TO BE WITH MARTH? ;o;

Kim: Cause it's a hot pairing. :)

Roy: O.o

Ed: ...crazy yaoi fans.

Eliwood: Yaoi? Sounds like yeow.

Roy: Like "YEOW! I'm on fire!"

Eliwood: Right, exactly. (sees that Roy has lit his boot on fire) YEOW! I'M ON FIRE!

Roy: :)

OKAY ENOUGH HORSIN' AROUND! CHAPPIE TIME!

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Chapter 5: A Companion at Last

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Roy sat on the bench atop the roof of the SSBM Mansion, staring up at the stars as a light breeze played with his mop of auburn hair. He was nervous for some odd reason, forced to remove his gloves from his sweaty palms, but the twinkling diamonds in the sky seemed to calm him down slightly. Even as he heard the middle tower door open behind him, he continued to glance towards the heavens to keep his nerves under control.

He felt Ryka sit down beside him, and she greeted him with a simple "Hey."

"Hey," he responded, building up the courage to look away from the sky and at her. "Um... Th-thanks for coming."

"It's not a problem," the girl smiled, leaning back and taking in a breath of the fresh air. "I'm glad you choose this place. Being indoors for too long drives me crazy."

"I hear that," Roy quietly agreed, clearing his throat to begin. "Okay, um... it took me a while to figure this all out, 'cause... um...okay, I'll be frank. You're _really_ pretty."

That comment actually got Ryka to faintly blush. "Oh... thanks..."

"Heh, yeah, but anyways, I was watching you fight, and your powers really stood out... And now that I see it, so do your... um... features..."

Ryka smiled, knowing where this was going. "And?"

"And... well... uh..." Roy sighed, boldly faced her, and threw out the question. "Are you a half-dragon?"

Ryka's face beamed, and Roy's eyes bulged.

"Really? Are you _serious?_"

"Mmm-hmm," Ryka nodded. "And I'm guessing you're one too?"

"Yeah...Wow...!" Roy was overwhelmed with excitement, laughing joyously as she did over the discovery of a being just like him. Maybe the books were wrong. Maybe he wouldn't be alone.

After at last they calmed down, Ryka gazed at him near apologetically. "...Roy, I... was the told the stories... of what happened to you..." When the mirth melt from his face, she placed a tender hand on his shoulder. "I'm... sorry you had to find out that way..."

He shut his eyes briefly, but then they slowly opened and came up to Ryka's, no longer afraid to look her in the eye. The glance was unreadable. "...How did _you_ find out...?"

Ryka hesitated, but figured she could trust him to keep her secrets. She drew away and settled back, sighing tiredly. Glancing at Roy, she saw she had his full attention, and she began.

"I'm... not sure _exactly_ where I was born... but I know it was in Ireland, because hours after my birth I was... abandoned."

Roy's face instantly reflected pity, a response she did not want but had to expect. "No, no, please, it's alright, I turned out fine. I was soon picked up by a hermit who lived in the forests."

"A hermit, or a wizard?" Roy asked with a knowing smile. "After all, a forest in Ireland would attract loads of magic, am I right?" **(1)**

Ryka chuckled, impressed by his knowledge of the subject. "Ah, so we _do_ know a bit, don't we?"

"I've been doing a _lot_ of reading lately," Roy laughed. "They'd launch a search party when I was in the library for too long."

Ryka giggled at his joke, then continued. "Well, this wizard, Demetrius, took me in and told me all the knowledge he had on dragons. He helped me cultivate my powers... and he told me that half-dragons like me- like you- have a purpose."

Roy leaned forward anxiously, intrigued. "What's that?"

Ryka grinned. "Our purpose is to preserve and protect the dragons that are still left!"

Roy blinked, and as that statement moved through his mind, he became confused. "Wait... B-but, I thought they were all gone! Vanuto, he said..."

"Yes, he did," Ryka nodded, her proud smile not wavering. "Demetrius also taught me that dragon sorcerers have another purpose besides studying dragon lore. They have been given the task to make the commonpeople believe that the dragons are all gone so that no harm come to them. Vanuto was young, so he probably took the belief seriously."

Roy's jaw slacked in a gape, eyes wide with disbelief. "So... that means... dragons still exist here...? They're still alive...?"

"They're very much alive," Ryka's face beamed. "I know. I travel all over the world, communicating with dragons to ensure their safety against those with greedy hearts. That's what I _really_ do. It's not an easy job, but it's got its merit."

Roy was caught up with surprise, gazing out aimlessly as the new facts sunk in. "..W-wow... That's incredible... no way..."

"Yep, it's true. For example..." She fingered the knot in her headband where the three turquoise feathers rested. "See these?"

"Those can't be... amphithere feathers..." **(2)**

"But they are." Ryka smiled as Roy carefully smoothed his fingers along them, amazed at her soft they were. "They were a gift when I saved an amphithere from some nasty bandits. The West forests are getting more and more dangerous every time I go."

"Gosh..." Roy breathed, taken in as he sat back down. "I...never would've imagined they still existed..." His brows then furrowed. "But wait... then why did the Dragon Gods give us the blood if there're still dragons...?"

Ryka shrugged, still grinning. "Who knows how the Dragon Gods' minds work. Perhaps it was simply to create humans who will appreciate and help preserve dragons."

Roy pondered this. "That makes sense."

She nodded in agreement, looking him over carefully. "So... you've known for how long now?"

"Three weeks," Roy answered, facing her with an envious glint in his eyes, though not the wrong way. "But you've known all your life. You know so much more than I could ever cram into a reading session."

"Yes, you have a lot to learn yet... which is why I'll be willing to teach you."

Roy did a double take at that remark. "W-what? Are you serious? Really?"

Ryka nodded. "It's easy to _know_ everything about dragons; you're well on your way with that. But you've got hidden powers within you, Roy, and being a half-dragon means tuning into your dragon side, to use those powers effectively to gain the trust of those you're swearing to protect. I can teach you and train you in your abilities like no one else can."

Roy shifted to face her fully, giving her an unbelieving stare. "You... you'd do that for me...?" he squeaked out.

"Of course, it'd be my pleasure," she chuckled. "Well, to tell you the truth, I'm ecstatic. You don't know how long I've been looking for a companion who cares as much as I do."

They boy thought about this, and a warm, comforting smile slowly came to his face, and he nodded. "Yeah... Thanks a lot."

"We can start lessons tomorrow at the same time, if you want." She got an eager nod in response. "Okay... But... we can't tell anybody, okay? And... could you not say anything about..."

"It's alright," Roy interrupted her, knowing what she wished. "I'm sure you've got your reasons, so I'll keep quiet." He stood and she followed, and he took her hands tenderly in his. "Thank you so much, Ryka. Really."

"You, too... Roy."

And for a few moments, the two stood together atop the roof, sharing a gentle silence as all but the soft breezes were quiet. But before anything magical could happen, their hands separated and Roy cleared his throat. "Um... you, uh, wanna head down? It's getting pretty late..."

"Actually..." Ryka stopped him. "I don't stay here at the Mansion. The reason I was late today was because I was setting up a place to stay nearby."

"Oh... I see."

"I'll see you tomorrow." Very slowly, she approached the edge of the roof, giving him a friendly glance before she leaped down towards wherever she belonged.

Roy lingered for a second before turning away to approach the door that lead downstairs. But as he gripped the doorknob, he froze when he heard the sound of small, leathery wings flapping against the wind. Surprised, he briefly turned, but it was too dark to see anything beyond the stone roof. Thoughtful, he turned the knob and stepped inside, eager to get some rest after today.

After all, it was a big day: the arrival of a new Smasher, who just happened to be another half-dragon who was even willing to share her knowledge with him. At last, Roy had someone to relate to, someone he could truly call a companion.

The last thought brought a smile to his face as he descended to the Mansion's interior, anxious for his first lesson tomorrow...

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**(1)** Info taken from Wizardology, from the same series as Dragonology. All other information regarding half-dragons and dragon sorcerers I made up on my own.

**(2)** Amphithere: a species of dragon from Northwest, Central, and South America, with no legs, a serpentine body, and feathery moth-like wings, tails, and plumes (from Dragonology)

A/N: Woo... lotta info there. TOLD ya the dragon stuff would come back.

Roy: Hooray! Half-dragons rule!

Kim: WOOO! (plays fanfare on her flute)

Link: Where was me and Marth?

Ed: Obviously not in this chapter. Good use of grammar, by the way.

Link: Thank you!

Ed: -.- Sarcasm just goes RIGHT OVER these people.

Eliwood: Huh? (looks up above his head) Where?

Ed: ...I rest my case.

Oh, hush up before you turn all emo. Review, please!


	6. First Attempt

A/N: Okay, since I'm so nice, you guys get two chapters again! Hooray for you!

Ed: Hoor-ray...

Roy: WOOOOOO! (throws confetti everywhere)

Link: (sulking) I STILL can't believe they want ME. And MARTH. TOGETHER.

Kim: WOULD YOU QUIT COMPLAINING?

Link: NO!

Eliwood: Everyone stop fighting! (lifts up plate) I've got biscotti!

All: BISCOTTI! (TACKLE)

Eliwood: OW! I'm mean, HOORAY:)

Onto the chappie!

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Chapter 6: First Attempt

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The day went by as usual. Ryka battled some more and rejected Falcon's swooning, and Link stubbornly lost again against Marth until the elf agreed to allow the prince to help train him. And all the while, Roy patiently awaited for that night, but kept his eagerness to himself to not arouse any suspicions.

That is, until dinner came.

The Pherean couldn't help himself. Once he had gotten his food and settled with Link, Marth, and Ryka, he began shoveling into his meal, figuring that the faster he was done with eating, the more time he had for learning. But as the half-dragon devoured his food, his three friends couldn't help but notice.

"Whoa, Roy, what's the rush?" exclaimed Link.

"...gulp, um... I'm hungry," Roy meekly explained behind a cheek-full of food.

"Funny, you were just about as hungry at lunch when you pigged out then," Marth muttered.

With the spoon in his mouth, Roy glanced up with big guilty eyes like a caught puppy. Seeking to cover up for him, Ryka spoke up.

"Roy, you should slow down. You wouldn't be able to do much with an upset stomach, would you?"

The boy glanced at Ryka, interpreting her silent message. Shamefully, Roy slipped the spoon out between his lips and cleared his throat, slowing his eating pace dramatically. Surprised at how easily she got him to calm down, the other two looked between them curiously. Link, whose optimistic mind saw chemistry, grinned, whereas Marth, whose cautious nature saw a sort of deception, leered suspiciously.

But before either of them could speak out, Ryka stood, her plate cleared, and very subtly, very quietly, she leaned over and whispered to Roy, "I'll meet you there."

Roy nodded to her knowingly, and she waved goodbye to the other two and left the cafeteria. This motivated Roy to eat slightly faster, but not as rapidly as before. Link and Marth may have had different perceptions, but they both stared at their redhead friend all the same.

"...What was that all about?" they asked simultaneously, though in different tones.

Roy looked up from his meal, confused. "...wha?"

Link leaned forward, a knowing smirk on his face. "Where're you meeting her, huh?"

The mamkute flinched. "None of your business."

"No, seriously, Roy," Marth spoke up, dead serious. "What are you doing with Ryka?"

"Dang it, Marth, it's not your business either!" Roy shot up, taking his plate forcibly. "I'm not a little kid! Quit babysitting me!" He turned away and left his two friends, slightly bewildered at the sudden outburst.

"...Whoa," Link blinked for a second, then shrugged. "Ah, guess we'd better leave him be, then, huh?"

Marth was growing concerned. "I...I don't know..."

"Well, I mean, he's right. Just 'cause he's the youngest doesn't mean we gotta hover over his shoulder all the time. He really doesn't need us to make decisions for him anymore."

Normally Marth would've found it extremely odd to hear such a mature comment from Link, but his thoughts were too preoccupied to notice. "...but..."

"Aw, don't worry about him, Marthy," Link grinned, patting the cobalt on the back. "When he needs help, he'll know where to come. He'll be alright."

Hesitantly, Marth nodded, staring off in the direction Roy had left for wherever he was going. The prince sighed and reluctantly restrained himself from following.

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Roy eagerly threw open the door and stepped onto the roof, immediately spotting Ryka on the same bench they had occupied the other night. Hearing him close the door behind him, she turned to face him as he walked over and sat down quietly, a little embarrassed.

"Um... sorry about that," he apologized sheepishly. "I was just really excited to get to the lesson..."

"No, it's alright," Ryka assured. "But just watch yourself. Our powers are a little on the unstable side."

Roy nodded, facing her anxiously. "So...what first?"

"Well..." Ryka had thought about this throughout the day and had already made their decision. She firmly stood up. "I think a good way to start off is showing you your ultimate goal: a complete transformation."

Roy's eyes widened at that as he knew what she meant.

And so it began: Ryka seemed to go limp as her head lolled back to face the heavens, but her legs still stood strong and firm as the process began. Her body began to stretch and her clothing seemed to melt into her skin before a soft glow enveloped her features. As Roy watched in awe, the first thing his eyes caught were light blue, leathery wings stretching themselves out.

And what he saw after the glow died down filled him with so much wonder and shock that his legs buckled beneath him, and he dropped down to his knees where he was standing.

Where Human Ryka once stood was a dragon of forest green, with a beige belly, and the same wild hair, headband and amphithere feathers intact. Her snout was curved to the bottom, almost beak-like in a female shape, her entire face reflecting gentleness and natural beauty. He eyes were shut as she was recovering, then opened to reveal shining crystal orbs that matched their human counterpart, aside from the thinned, reptilian pupils.

Roy's jaw threatened to drop to the ground in sheer amazement. He made a tiny squeak before he managed to get out "...Y...you... t-t-transformed...!"

Ryka the Dragon nodded, smiling warmly.

"How... how did you..." Roy stammered. "...how'd you t-transform by your own will...? And where'd your clothes go?"

Ryka laughed at his barrage of questions, sitting in a comfortable perched position. "Okay, here's something you need to know first. Within every human being, half-blooded or not, are two things: a conscious and a subconscious."

"And the subconscious controls things the conscious can't right?" Roy ventured.

"Yes, that's one distinction. But see, a subconscious has knowledge of its own, almost a separate being. It knows when to transform, when to execute dragon powers... or, at least most of the time."

Roy inclined his head questioningly.

"All you have to do is command your subconscious to trigger the process. Of course, it's not as easy as it sounds, but it _is_ possible."

Roy took in this info. "Okay... What about the clothes?"

"Once the subconscious has ordered the transformation, the conscious can control how it's carried out. If you simply imagine your clothing to fuse with yourself, it will be done. The fibers of the clothing fuse with the skin fibers, and that's why..."

"...your hide is green and beige, like your tunic! And your wings, blue like your cape!" Roy realized, and her nod gave him a gleeful sense of accomplishment. "...Does it hurt?"

"Oh, yeah, of course it does," Ryka answered off-handedly. "But I've gotten used to it. You will too after your body's been melded that many times."

Roy thought hard, then, his mind made up, he glanced up and gave her a bold grin. "Let me try it."

Ryka blinked. "Roy, are... you can't be serious..."

"Just, lemme try it. Once," Roy countered without pleads in his tone. "I wanna see if I can."

Ryka sighed. Not permitting him to experiment would only discourage him. After all, she remembered how equally eager she was when she first began. "Okay, give it a shot. Just don't strain yourself, okay?"

Roy nodded, glad for a chance. He stood rigid and concentrated, hard. He wasn't sure exactly _how_ he was supposed to do it, so all he did was keep think _Transform, transform, come on, transform!_ His hands were curled up in fists, trembling with effort.

_Come on, come o...!_

Then he felt it: the pull at his fibers he felt the first time he began to transform. He grimaced deeply as the pain began.

"If it's too much, you can stop it! Don't hurt yourself!"

But there was no amount of pain Roy couldn't endure. He was much too determined to let pain stop him now.

Then something strange happened. He felt a sort of twang, like a bowstring snapping back, and somehow he knew his request to transform was rejected. As if teaching him a lesson for good measure, whatever halted the process shot out a wave of sharp pain through his body, and he let out a shrill cry before he lost the strength to stand up, beginning to fall.

"Roy!" Ryka stumbled over and allowed him to fall into her wing, his energy spent. Carefully she laid him down, then a soft glow later and she was back in her human form. Quickly she knelt by Roy's side as he regained consciousness with a groan, regaining his strength bit by bit.

"Unh..." he moaned, dragging his eyes up to glance at her. "R-Ryka... w-what happened...?... Did I do something wrong...?"

"No, no, Roy, it's alright," she assured. "The same thing happened when I first started out. When the subconscious feels it's not the right time to begin transforming, it lets you know and rejects the command. You're just not ready yet, that's all."

Hearing this, Roy frowned faintly in disappointment.

"Don't worry about it," Ryka helped him sit up, patting him on the back. "We'll start on your other powers and work our way up, okay?"

Roy nodded, smiling in comfort as he sighed, allowing himself to recover. He began to wonder why his subconscious didn't think he was ready, but with a borderline separate being with much knowledge, he decided its judgment was certainly better than his. So, with no other choice, Roy decided to wait for his time to be ready.

Which, in truth, would be closer then he was expecting.

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A/N: All info was made up by ME, thank you.

Roy: Wow, creative genius at its best:D

Thank you!

Ed: Suck-up.

Roy: (sticks out tongue)

Kim: Hey! You're MY lackey! You're supposed to suck up to ME!

Link: (points at me) But this is HER fic.

Kim: Oh... carry on.

Roy: :)

Eliwood: (munching on biscotti) Yummy. :)

Please review!


	7. Suspicions Rise

A/N: Hooray! After my long break, I'm gaining popularity again!

Ed: And we're being dragged into more chapter introductions. Huzzah.

Roy: HUZZAH!

Link: ...did he hit his head or something?

Eliwood: Something like that. I have no clue.

Kim: Some Dad you are.

Eliwood: No, wait! I mean, well... no...

Roy: 8D

Oh, well, we can discuss that later. CHAPPIE TIME!

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Chapter 7: Suspicions Rise

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Even after his failed attempt at a transformation, Roy was still ever eager each day to attend the lesson of the evening. Encouraged by his will to learn, Ryka was equally excited to teach him. As a result, the lessons went by smoothly and quickly.

And indeed, Roy made tremendous progress. He learned how to reach in and produce his own warm glow which created his flames, and then his ability to control these flames got easier and easier. He could create tiny embers and great fireballs all the same, one as easily as the other. Also, Ryka taught him a varied arrangement of terms in the Old Dragon Tongue, since most dragons, she told him, were not familiar with the English language. Though Dragon Tongue sounded like growls, hisses, and trills to the unknowing ear, the two half-dragons translated it to a quite complex language.

With these lessons (and a few minor others) under his belt, Roy wished to try the transformation again. A week after his first attempt, the two decided to try it again.

Atop the roof that evening, Roy and Ryka sat facing each other, cross-legged. The boy's eyes were shut as he mentally prepared himself, and his teacher waited patiently until his eyes opened and he nodded, ready to make another attempt.

"Okay," Ryka spoke softly in order to preserve the calmness in the air. "Now, what I like to do is take my transformation piece by piece, so I can focus easily on each part instead of the big picture. First the claws and talons, then the spine and tail, then the wings... You understand, right?"

Roy nodded quietly.

"You, of course, can do it in any order you want. It might be a little easier for you, or it may not be. Let's go for it."

Roy grinned in silent agreement, then shut his eyes and once again thought of commanding the subconscious to begin the process. This time he felt the pulls and bends much sooner, and he took this as a good sign as he did what Ryka told him to do. He imagined first what he missed most about being a dragon: the large, majestic wings. He imagined their shape and the way it felt when he flapped them with those strong muscles around the base. And before he forgot, he imagined these wings to fuse with his own cape, working in two lessons at once.

Roy groaned as he felt the bones push out from his back most painfully, and moreso when he felt cloth fiber slip in-between his flesh. Yet he was quietly reveling the fact that it was already beginning to work, that he was slowly becoming a dragon...

But before he could begin to imagine anything else, he felt that twang again, that sign of rejection from his subconscious. Yet this time it was less painful initially, but more powerful. Roy simply flinched, then immediately lost consciousness, falling forward into Ryka's arms.

"Roy!" Ryka was taken by surprise, as nothing like this happened before. Roy was out like a light, but from his back were limply-spread, medium-sized wings, truly authentic. The bony spurs of the wings were deep purple, like the outside of his cape (which was absent), and the thin membrane in-between was bright red like the inside. They seemed to come from his tunic, but closer inspection clarified that his upper back had become scaly, especially around the wings' base muscles. His wings were fully developed in proportion to his body's size, but that was it.

Roy had performed a partial transformation, a little more advanced than a full transformation. Of course, he didn't do it intentionally, but it seemed his body was already beginning to adapt as the wings stretched slightly every time he calmly breathed to a soft tempo. Ryka was amazed, to say the least.

Even so, Roy was not out cold and unable to learn anymore tonight. Ryka knew he needed the sleep to get the energy for the wings to automatically turn back by themselves. With this and the cold weather out here in mind, she placed her hands under his knees and just below the base of his wings and lifted him into her arms. He settled with a yawn and a soft smack of his lips, calmly sleeping as if nothing had happened. Ryka couldn't help but smile at his innocent appearance.

And speaking of his appearance, peeking eyes will probably wonder why Roy had wings. Aware of this, Ryka unbuttoned her cape with one hand and compressed his wings ever so carefully so the small amount of fabric could fully cover them and hide them from the world.

She began her descent back into the Mansion, hoping she wouldn't be seen...

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Marth was worried. Very worried.

Roy hadn't spoken to either him or Link for a good week now, spending most of his time with Ryka. Marth shouldn't have been worried; after all, the impression Roy had begun to give out was much happier than before. Marth should've been happy to see him that way, but all it made him was... sad. His young friend had always shared his joys and sorrows alike with his two best pals in the whole world, but it seemed now like he was... drifting away. Marth wanted so much to reel him back in, but that would be selfish of him, to take his happiness away, just for the sake of their friendship...

With so much confusion going through his mind as he passed through the dorm hallways, he almost passed right by a certain figure, who accidentally bumped him in her haste. Gaining his attention, she yelped slightly, knowing she was caught.

When Marth looked up, he was surprised to find a slightly panicked Ryka, terrified like a cornered squirrel. In her arms was an unconscious Roy.

Marth's instincts were shot on high. "Roy!" he cried out, stepping forward. "Is he okay?"

"He-He's alright..." Ryka stammered nervously, slightly pulling away and clutching the blue cloth bundled under Roy's back. "J-just a little incident, that's all..."

His brows narrowed. "What incident?"

"Ah... Just an accident... We were training and I hit him across the head a little too hard..." She grew quite weary. "I-I feel horrible..."

Marth swallowed his pride, and his face grew soft. "It's alright, I'm sure he'll be fine. Me 'n Link have occasionally knocked him around a bit, and he's always bounced back." He brought out his arms. "Here, let me take him..."

"No!" She pulled away again, her breathing becoming nervous. "I-I'll take him to his dorm." When she gained a suspicious glance, she sought to explain. "P-please, let me do something to make up for my mistake..."

Marth had a large urge to snatch Roy from her arms, but his last thoughts from before had got him to reconsider. Very reluctantly, the prince sighed and nodded. "Alright, just be careful with him."

"Of course. I'm sorry to worry you." Ryka adjusted Roy in her arms, bowed slightly, and walked away.

Marth watched her go quietly, still debating to himself even when it was too late. The more he thought of the girl with his friend, the more worried he grew.

"...Roy..."

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At last, Ryka found Roy's dorm and pushed it open with her lip, lightly closing it with her foot, but not all the way. Ever so carefully, she set the boy down, propping him up in a sitting position. Slowly, she lifted the cloth to reveal his beautiful, scaly wings, unscathed. She fingered them lightly with a smile, giggling when one of them twitched, much like a cat's ear, signifying his activity within Dreamland.

She cautiously laid him down upon his side, spreading and smoothing his wings out behind him. Roy settled with a sigh, the wings stretching as he gave as he gave out a yawn. He mumbled into a pillow, then fell silent.

Ryka sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "Oh, Roy..." she muttered with another sigh, glancing on him with a frown.

A creak of the door caused her to sharply turn, but no one was there. Ryka dismissed it hesitantly as a small breeze that got in, then back to a peacefully slumbering Roy.

"Roy...I'm sorry..." she sighed, but in a less remorseful way than when she was trying to convince Marth. After all, she was never a person to truly ever back down. "I...I had no idea anything like that would happen... Heh, oh, what am I worried about? You'll be just fine..." Her chuckles died away. "But... don't worry about it, okay...? Frankly, you're doing better than I did when I started out... We'll just... stick to the fire stuff until you feel you're ready again, okay?"

Roy groaned as if responding, turning onto his back with his wings moving accordingly as if second nature. He yawned and smacked his lips, scratching his stomach before settling once more in his blissful sleep.

Ryka smiled. "Good night, Roy."

----------

A certain someone _was_ actually leaning against that door, at a friend's request, and a little against his will.

_Geez, if Marth wanted to know the so-called "truth," he should've spied himself..._ he mumbled disgruntledly in his head. _I mean, what could Ryka do to Roy? Sheesh, he's so paranoid..._

Soon, he felt a creak from within as one of them got off the bed, as well as approaching footsteps. Alarmed as the door was pushed open, he flattened himself against the wall, hoping he wouldn't be seen...

Ryka slowly stepped out, checking both ways to make sure the hallways were clear. Glancing back briefly at the sleeping being inside, she slowly shut the door and turned to face another, quite abruptly.

Both let out a small scream of surprise, taking a second to calm themselves down.

"Goddesses...!"

"Oh, geez, Link, you scared me..."

"Ah... sorry..." the elf scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed. "I-I was just on my way to my dorm, and I saw you take in Roy... Is he alright, by the way?"

"Oh, yeah, he'll be fine," she answered casually, not as intimidated by Link as she was by Marth.

"What happened?"

"Well..." Ryka sought to remember. "Him and I were training tonight..."

Link inclined his head. "Weird. The training rooms were empty."

"We were outside," she squeaked. "We like more wide-open spaces." Getting a nod of understanding, she continued. "Right, so, we were sparring, and I accidentally took my hilt and whacked him a bit too hard on the head, and he was out like a light."

"Ooh, ouch," Link winced. "But, yeah, he's got a thick head. He'll be fine by morning."

Ryka laughed when she caught the joke, nodding. "Yeah, I just feel kinda bad..."

"Don't worry about it, it's cool," Link assured. "Accidents happen. At least you didn't cut off one of his limbs or something."

"Ha, right. Well, I'll se you tomorrow."

"Right, see ya." Link watched her go, smiling to himself. So, it really _was_ just an accident. If it wasn't true, Ryka wouldn't have been so calm and collected, though she did seem upset over her clumsiness, but that was normal. Link had no idea what Marth was suspecting, but the Hylian was convinced of Ryka's innocence.

_Marth is WAY too paranoid..._

----------

A/N: Haha, see? A bit longer. Alright. Go me.

Roy: You DA MAN!

Kim: No, she's _clearly_ a girl.

Ed: ...I think I can see where Roy gets his stupidity.

Eliwood: See? I TOLD you it wasn't because of my faulty parenting!

Link: Doesn't mean you're still not guilty of it.

Eliwood: Why can't you be as complying as you are in the story, huh? Why do you gotta be a Suspicious Sam all the sudden, HUH?

Link: ...Well, goddesses, it was a joke, but...

Eliwood: Oh. Okay. :)

Ed: ...but then again...

XD Ah, I just blame society for Roy. I can blame society on ANYTHING! That's the only great thing about it. XD But anyways, review please!


	8. Found and Caught

A/N: Hey, guys, guess what! I've got ART!

Kim: Yippee!

Link: Here the url to the Dragon Blood cover:

Eliwood: And here's a shot of Roy and Ryka!

Ed: Shameless self-advertising... (shakes head)

Roy: (BONK) Shaddap. :)

Kim: Hey, wait...where ARE the urls?

Oh, dammit, that's right, won't let me type them in, da buttmunchers... Oh, well, check out my profile, click on my deviantART account, then go look at the two pics entitled "Dragon Blood Cover" and "Half-Dragon Pride." If you get lost, gimme your email and I'll send you the links. Course this all would've been easy if the SITE WOULD ALLOW URLS!

Everyone: O.O (cower)

So, go check 'em out, if you can.Now, onto the chappie. Now, the character I'm introducing has a ridiculous accent, so the misspellings are intentional. And no, I'm not making fun of the French, I'm making fun of a dude who rips apart the French accent. He's a bad guy, so I can do that. XD So, onward!

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Chapter 8: Found and Caught

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Of course, Roy awoke to the morning as fit as fit can be, his wings and any evidence of them gone. Ryka explained to him what she knew of what happened, and he agreed to her plans of working with his flame powers. To his embarrassment, he still had slight problems in that field, sometimes losing control and charring a spot on the roof. He hoped no one in charge of the Mansion repairs would notice.

And so that's what they did for another week or so until he could at last master the ability with little effort. and with that done, Roy had learned all and mastered all that he could. The only thing that was left for him to do was the transformation.

With this in mind, Ryka decided to reward his hard work with a little surprise. Tonight they met on the front steps of the Mansion instead of the roof, and once there, Roy took her hand and followed her northwards.

The SSBM Mansion was surrounding by very interesting and lovely geography. the nearest city was miles away, only a small road crossing its path. Most of the grounds were wide open grassy green plains, but towards the north, the fields became small forests which circled around a small group of rocky mountains, like a leafy moat around a beige stone castle. Most Smashers didn't know it, but there was quite an abundant amount of life, quite literally, right in their backyard.

Roy was at ease as he strolled through the woods behind Ryka, listening to the owls hoot and the crickets serenading the evening. Somehow, a presence of familiarity reached deep inside him and pulled out his worries, pulled out his sorrows, and he felt somehow... at home. It was a very comforting feeling.

But that would be next to nothing compared to what Ryka would show him.

"We're almost there, come on!" Ryka tugged on his arm a bit, and he quickened his pace along the rocky path up the center mountain's side. He grunted as he was pulled through thick brush and bramble, and for a second he had no idea where he was going. When the foliage cleared, he was no longer on a road, but on a cliff overlooking the forests. He gazed outwards, even able to see the silhouette of the Mansion against the navy blue sky, its twinkling stars and moon bathing the treetops in a pearly glow. Roy was taken in by the marvelous view.

"Turn around," Ryka commanded with a grin, and Roy did so, facing something only a half-dragon could consider spectacular. There, burrowing into the cliff's side, was a large cavern leading into the mountain. There was a soft orange glow inside, drawing in an amazed Roy, who slowly stepped within, Ryka right beside him. Inside was a makeshift home: a small, human-sized cot, an area set aside where her belongings sat, and a small fire in the middle, bringing warmth to the otherwise chilly cave. Roy noted the abundance of empty space left open; enough room for a dragon to roam about inside without the inherent feeling of cramping. To understate, Roy was astonished.

"W...wow..." he squeaked out, bright eyes of blue scanning the glowing walls in awe.

"Isn't it wonderful?" Ryka smiled, spinning about the cave until she landed on her cot. "Home sweet home."

"Mmm-hmm," Roy nodded, huddling nearby, in front of the warm fire. "Wow, I wish I knew about this place before..."

Ryka grinned, amused by his unwavering, childish sense of wonder, and scooted over next to him. "Well, then I wouldn't have been able to surprise you, would I?"

Roy chuckled. "Heh, yeah, I guess..." He turned to glance upon Ryka, but his heart leaped all of the sudden. She was looking _right_ at him, and the glow from the fire accented all her soft features, grabbing his attention. But before anything happened, he cleared his throat to get control of himself. "So, um... what're we doing tonight?"

"What else?" Ryka smiled. "Let's try it again."

Knowing what she meant, Roy nodded and faced her, and she adjusted to face him. They were silently soaking up the atmosphere before Ryka spoke again.

"Okay... I've taught you the methods, you just have to apply them." Slowly, with purpose, she took his hands into hers. "If it helps, I'll do it with you."

Roy nodded. "Alright."

"Let's do it."

Simultaneously, they shut their eyes and concentrated like they've done before. And with their connection by hand, their subconscious both triggered the process at the same time, knowing their purpose. Roy felt the tugs and bends, his fingers curling to tighten their grip on Ryka's hands. She didn't back away, but more or less did the same as she experienced the same pains as he did, but bided her strength easily.

Roy was determined to do it this time, hoping and praying his subconscious wouldn't cut him off, yet was still patient enough to take it piece by piece. He began to let his imagination take over, thinking of...

"Boyz! In here! We've found et at last!"

Roy's eyes snapped open in panic as the wind entered and snuffed out the campfire. Someone was nearby!

_Stop, stop!_ he internally ordered, and he felt the tight pulls relax and settle back into human form, if there had been any difference. The girl across from him, however, showed no signs of halting.

"Ryka!" he cried out, still clutching her growing hands as the noise outside the cave grew closer. "Ryka, quick! Someone's coming!"

"Roy...!" she choked out, gasping. "I...I can't... stop it...!"

"RYKA!" Roy was terrified when her fingers between his grew claws and green, scaly skin. He hurriedly withdrew and could only watch helplessly as the glow enveloped her features until she was a dragon once more, limping into an exhausted heap as she had lost the fight with her subconscious.

"Ryka!" Roy knelt beside her large head, hands wrapped around her cheek and neck for support. "Are you okay?"

"R-Roy... get... run... please, run..." she groaned weakly.

"Why?" He briefly turned away as the voices outside got louder and more aggressive.

"Hurry up, jou oafs! I swear, de dragon's in zere, and now is ze chance to take vhat's mine!"

Hearing this, Roy turned back to Ryka, shocked. "...They're... looking for you."

The olive green dragon grimaced.

"...That's why you wanted to keep it a secret. These people have been hunting you down, haven't they...?"

"Roy, please, I don't want you to get hurt..." Ryka pleaded softly.

But Roy refused to run away, giving her a fierce glance of determination. "No. I'm staying right here."

"Roy..."

Both winced as a series of blinding lights shot on and banished the darkness. Shielding his eyes, Roy glanced towards the mouth of the cave, where a good number of uniformed men with odd equipment stood, looking as if ready for a battle. They seemed intimidated by the great dragon behind him, but confused at his own presence.

"Well? Is she zere or not?" An impatient, thick-accented voice spoke out behind the group.

"...um... Well, we've got an... um, issue, Jasper, sir..."

"Oh, move out of ze way, jou brainless mongrel!" A lanky man with a thin, over-groomed mustache and clothing as if he was on an archeological expedition eagerly pushed through the shield of his men to see for himself. Seeing the boy crouched down beside the dragon even got him to stop short, and seconds later, his temper flared again.

"Vhat? Vhat is dat brat doing there?"

"He... he was there when we came in, s..."

"_NO EXCUSES!_"

As the man continued to bicker with his henchmen, Ryka softly growled, something Roy could translate. "_Go... Please, just go..._"

"_No._" Roy didn't know why she was choosing to speak in Dragon Tongue, but he responded all the same. "_Stay down. I will protect you._" **(1)** And with that, he stood in front of her, willing to confront this whole group if needed.

It seemed that the odd language the two had exchanged had gained the strange man's attention, his beady eyes trained on Roy as he absentmindedly twirled his mustache in thought.

"Hmm... Most in-ter-resting..." he mused. "Ze boy knows ze tongue of ze dragon..."

Roy retained a dark scowl, spreading his arms out. "Leave her alone."

"Vhat, jou plan to protect zis creature?" the odd man chortled. "HA! Don't make meh laugh!"

Roy's scowl only deepened. "Who are you, and what do you want with her?"

"Who am I? WhhhhhhHHO am I?" the pious man exclaimed, rolling his "h's" profusely, furthering his ridiculous outlook. He gestured to himself and stood with the pride of the greatest thing since sliced bread. "Jasper is ze name, dragon-hunting is my game! I'm one of ze _best_ dragonologists in Europe! I've been hunting zose foul beasts for a good twenty years now!" He leaned dangerously close to Ray's face. "And not once 'ave I let zomeone like _jou _be in ze way of my bounty!"

"No!" Jasper's cocky, clownish character did not waver Roy's resolve as he stood firm. "I won't let you take her!"

"Grr... jou foolish brat!" Jasper screeched, gesturing towards a still exhausted Ryka. "Don't jou realize vhat zort of _gold mine_ jou are protecting? Zat is no normal dragon!" He chuckled. "I should know, I take zem apart all ze time."

"You sicko!" Roy bellowed, fists clenched as his own temper began to rise.

"But jus look at zat beast!" He began to stroll closer. "Her red hair, her two-toned zkin und wings, her _repulsively_ short znout... Vedy strange features for a dragon, no? Zome call et ze legendary Half-dragon... no one knows vhat the other half is."

Roy took that into consideration. If there were only rumors of half-dragons, and no one knew they were half human, that only made things even more dangerous for them with man like Jasper; greedy "dragonologists" who plundered dragons and sold them for mounds of profit, disregarding any of the "beasts'" feelings. Knowing this, Roy furthered his defensive stance, sneering worse the more Jasper came closer.

"...Jou still don't get et, do you? Zis creature...is my ticket to great richez!" And then he reached out to stroke Ryka's scaly skin.

"DON'T TOUCH HER!" Roy slapped his hand away venomously, giving him a snarl. "You selfish nutcase! Dragonologists are supposed to _help_ dragons! How _dare_ you call yourself one!"

Jasper put on an offended look as he back away. "Oh! Oh, my poor tender heart! Et breaks! Jou hurt my dear delicate feelingz!" There were some laughs from his team behind him, and the face went away. "Vell, if zat's how you feel, go on, continue protecting ze Half-dragon." He backed up behind his men. "Let's zee if my team of trained hunters can break through ze dragon's little defender."

With his eyes more adjusted to the light, Roy noted how buff and well-armed the men really were, holding what looked to be guns containing either tranquillizer darts or lead bullets. But though he was unarmed, Roy was completely calm. even as Ryka tried to get up to probably attack, he lifted his hand and held her back.

"_No, wait...!_"

"_Stay down. I will take care of them._"

"_Wait, they're...!_"

But whatever warning she had didn't come fast enough, as Roy lit his internal glow, and a small flame erupted between the palms of his hands, slowly growing in size. The men stopped their approach, gazing at the fire as if entranced. When it got bigger and bigger, that's when Jasper began to sense an attack.

"Jou idiots! Your cloaks! Hurry!"

Before that warning was given, Roy had commanded the massive ball of fire to be sent towards his adversaries. They barely had enough time to each throw on their own peculiar cloak, and when the fireball connected, it exploded off the strange fabrics, spreading embers every which way. Alarmed, Roy ducked under Ryka's wings, his flames bouncing off the leathery skin until they evaporated into puffs of smoke.

Slowly, Roy peeked out from behind his protective barrier when he was sure it was safe, wondering what went wrong. then he got a good look at the cloaks as they began to remove them. Each were coarsely made, near-blankets almost, with stretched and curved marking as if straight from the tanner. This struck Roy as odd, but before he could ponder it further, Jasper threw off his own cloak and scowled at the youth.

"_Harummph!_" he huffed. "Dragon powers, eh? Zo _zat's_ why jou protect et! You're jus another dragon sorcerer who doesn't know his place!" **(2)** The scowl melted into a smirk as he regarded his team. "Good zing I told jou boyz to bring ze heat-resistant cloaks, no?"

The hunter men all guffawed almost mockingly. Slowly Roy moved out from behind Ryka's aquatic blue wing, keeping his eyes trained on the mysterious cloak in Jasper's hands. "Heat-resistance..." Then it hit him hard. "That's...!"

Jasper's form shook with merriment as he laughed at the shocked look on the boy's face. "_Hahaha!_ Jou are a sharp one, Mr. Dragon Sorcerer!" He slung it over his shoulder and stroked it like a mink coat. "Zat's right, pure dragon hide, zkinned straight from ze beast." He then flexed the most wicked smirk. "Zey're better fresh off ze corpse."

Roy gawked in horror at the atrocity before him. Even Ryka behind him shivered, equally sickened, as those hides most likely belonged to dragons she once knew and watched over. But though she was grief-stricken, a quiet rage built up inside of her. I t wasn't meant to be released...

"_YOU MONSTER!_"

SMACK.

...but then she saw Roy hit the ground when he tried to go for Jasper's throat. The dastard had a surprisingly good arm for dealing punishment to those in his way, as Roy rubbed a red, puffy cheek painfully. And there, Ryka saw another one of her friends being trampled on by this man, this villain who was the very enemy of all dragon-kin. And with this in mind, the weakness gone from her body, Ryka stood on all fours most vigorously, catching everyone's attention. Yet her blue reptilian eyes were trained on Jasper alone, the epitome of all her troubles. It was time to stop running and confront this vile man for all her dragon brothers and sisters.

Everyone had frozen on the spot at this new development, the team looking as if ready to make a run for it. Ryka let out a deafening roar that knocked all the men off their feet, but Jasper stood rigid, roaring back as if answering a challenge. As a furiously agitated Ryka began to approach, his hand dived into a small belt pouch on his hip, pulling out a clump of sparkling crimson dust. And before Ryka could see it in her beastly blind fury, it was too late.

Roy, however, recognized it on the spot. _Dragon dust!_ From her readings, Roy knew the substance well, and from it, he knew exactly what Jasper was planning to do.

"NO! RYKA!"

But his call fell on deaf ears as Ryka ran head first into danger. When she was close enough, Jasper cast the magic dust into the air, all spraying into Ryka's eyes.

"**_RYKA!_**"

The dust succeeded in halting her in her tracks, swaying as if intoxicated. Jasper took full advantage of the opportunity and began to chant a certain spell.

"_Ivàhsi yüduin! Enimôr taym inspelz! Boyar ugôner gedit!_" **(3)**

The color drained form Roy's face as Ryka settled in a calm state under Jasper's spell. As the entranced dragon stood willingly before her new master, Roy snapped and darted towards her, desperately calling out her name to try and somehow reach her.

"RYKA! RYKA, _ANSWER ME!_ RYK- _UNH!_" Before he could reach her, however, he felt the hands of one of those massive men deliver a good blow to the back of his head. Losing his momentum, he fell forward to kiss the ground limply, consciousness fading in and out. His eyes were already closed, his world rendered dark, but faint words managed to reach his ears.

"Finally! I was waiting for one of jou to do zomezing about zat pest! Now, chain her up vell!"

"Jasper, sir! What about the boy?"

"Leave him be! I 'ave no need for ze little sorcerer to crowd up my cages!"

And then Roy's consciousness slipped helplessly away.

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**(1)** In Dragon Tongue, there's no contractions, or words with apostrophes, so that's why it sounds formal. In addition, the concept of names is more complicated and will be explained later on.

**(2)** Jasper's mistake. He doesn't know of real half-dragons, so he assumes it's dragon sorcery that gives Roy his powers.

**(3)** Yes, this is a real taming spell from the source, one that if not pronounced _exactly_ will backfire on the castor.

A/N: Woo... big chapter.

Ed: Well, finally! (gets bonked again) OW! That's IT! (transmutes his arm and chases after Roy)

Roy: RUN AWAY! (flee)

Link: ...then again, maybe Monty Python also has a part in Roy's insanity.

Eliwood: Why can't you just ACCEPT it for what it is, like I do!

Link: Because you're his _dad_. That's way different.

Eliwood: :P

Kim: (sleeping)

Anydangways, review, please! And go check out the fanfic art!


	9. Banding Together

A/N: Alright! NOW the story's getting interesting!

Ed: (yawn)

Kim: (bop)

Ed: OW! I was just tired from chasing Roy!

Roy: (collapsed on the floor) 8D

Eliwood: (staring at him) ...are you sure you're my son?

Link: After knowing you all this time, I am most positive he is.

Eliwood: Really? Bah...

CHAPPIE TIME STARTS NOW!

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Chapter 9: Banding Together

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"Aw, Marth, come _on_...!"

"No. I don't care where he is, I'm going to find him."

"Okay, so he's spending a lot of time with Ryka, so what?"

"And not telling us anything about it?"

"...Well..."

Marth and Link had been debating the topic of their friend's well-being for hours now, unaware of how late it was. Running out of patience, the cobalt resolved to find Roy and pry the truth out of him, with the elf trailing behind him as he marched down the halls, trying to persuade him otherwise.

"Seriously, Marth...!"

"If you don't want to get involved, why are you still following me?" the prince bitterly asked, eyes trained forward.

Link sighed and rolled his eyes. "Because I'm stubborn enough to think I can still change your mind."

"I mean, I'm not saying it's a bad thing!" Marth countered to no one in particular. "I'm just saying, if Roy's not talking to us, it could be very possible that he's involved in something that he shouldn't be!"

Without missing a beat, Link responded, "And it could also be possible that you're a paranoid psychopath."

Finally, Marth acknowledged Link's words with an irritated glare. "I'm paranoid because I'm worried about a friend's safety?"

"That's not what I'm saying!" The Hylian was beginning to lose his own patience. "You're paranoid because you think Ryka is out to _get_ Roy! You've _been_ paranoid ever since she got here! All you're looking for is a reason to label her as a bad guy!"

Marth froze in his steps as if awakened from some sort of trance. He glanced up and realized they were in the Foyer now, Link's words echoing throughout the wide space. Was that really it? Did he confuse his thoughts that easily?

"...I..."

But before he could say anything, the front doors slammed open as the friend in question entered, wheezing and out of breath as if he had run a good distance, but gasping for other reasons. The two stood in surprise as he glanced up wearily, fresh tears running rivers down his face.

"Guys! _Guys!_" he cried out desperately, panting and wheezing while sobbing at the same time. He pushed off the door frame and rushed towards his friends as if about to collapse.

"Roy!" Marth caught the exhausted boy in an embrace, shocked as he cried into his shirt quite loudly. "Roy, what's wrong?"

"They... Th-they took her!" Roy howled in dismay, burying his face in the fabric and muttering into it. "Th-th-they took her away...!"

"Whoa, okay, slow down," Marth assured. As far as he was concerned, the suspicions he had before were far less important than whatever Roy was upset about now. "Start from the beginning. What happened?"

The young half-dragon sniffed and rubbed his red eyes, trying to calm himself down. His lips quivered as he began. "...I...I noticed Ryka's powers... and so I asked her and found out that she was a half-dragon too..."

The two exchanged glances, and Link slapped his forehead in realization. "Oh, jeez, no duh!"

"I talked to her about it," Roy continued, rubbing his nose as he stared at the floor. "Sh-she told me how dragons were still alive, and how it was her duty as a half-dragon to help protect them from greedy people..."

"Whoa, wait, dragons still exist?" Marth questioned, surprised when Roy nodded.

"In few numbers, but still..." Fresh tears began to well up in his distraught eyes. "I... I wanted to help too... I-I wanted to help dragons as best I could, and she said I needed to perfect my dragon powers and she offered to help me..." He started to sob again. "Sh-she was willing to teach me to be a better half-dragon and how to use my flames and how to speak Dragon Tongue and... and..." His tears took hold of his words as he nuzzled Marth's shirt again.

"So..." Link spoke up to clarify. "This whole time, ever since she's been here, she's been teaching you how to rightfully use your powers?"

Roy nodded. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you and made you worried, I'm so so sorry!" he begged for forgiveness as he continued to cry. Link gave Marth a disapproving scowl, who slowly began to feel the guilt pile up. This whole time, he had thought Ryka was hurting Roy, but instead she was helping him with something no one else could. No wonder he was happier. He had discovered his mixed blood had a divine purpose, a purpose no one else could've known.

Marth felt simply horrible after taking this into consideration, holding Roy close as the boy trembled, scared of how his friends would react, but when there was no anger or argument, he continued.

"She... she taught me everything she could..." Roy spoke softly, sniffling. "But... I still can't transform..."

"You mean into a dragon?" Link asked.

Roy nodded again, shaking. "We were up in the northern mountains... she made her place in a cave up there... we tried again tonight, her doing it with me... and then these men came in and she couldn't stop her transformation..." He moaned in misery. "...Now I know why she wouldn't tell anyone..."

Marth blinked. "Why not?"

"She was being hunted!" Roy sobbed, catching their attention. "This guy, Jasper, he calls himself a dragonologist, but all he does is hunt dragons and sell them for profit... He's only seen Ryka's dragon form and thinks she's some new rare breed... sniff... And I tried to protect her, I really tried, but... he cast dragon dust and tamed her instantly, and one of his goons knocked me out... sob... and when I woke up, they were all gone!"

As his cries continued, Marth was almost afraid to ask. "... what'll they do to her?"

"...sob... They'll kill her and sell her parts!" Roy cried out miserably.

"...Her..." Link grimaced. "...parts?"

"Every part of a dragon is worth something..." he explained woefully, ignoring his gushes of tears. "The horns, teeth, eyes, bones, claws, hides, blood... He'll sell everything just for _money!_"

"Augh!"

"The _slimeball!_"

"You guys gotta help me!" Roy pleaded, pulling on Marth's shirt. "I don't know where they took her, but I have to save her! I know I've been a jerk to you guys, but...!"

Marth held up a hand, shaking his head in disagreement. "No, Roy... you're not the jerk. I am."

Lip quivering, Roy glanced at his cobalt friend questioningly.

"I've been a Suspicious Sam ever since Ryka got here, thinking she was a danger to you..."

"He sent me out as a spy!"

"Link, shut up!" The elf winced and shut up instantly. "Roy, it's okay that you couldn't tell us; I can now understand why. You don't have to beat yourself up, alright?" Roy nodded, sniffing, and looked up to see a smile grace Marth's face. "Don't worry, we're still buddies."

Roy beamed through his tears.

The smile faded to a determined glare. "But right now we have to find Ryka and make that Jasper creep pay."

"Right on!" Link cheered. "I was waiting for that!"

Roy glanced between the two. "...Y-you guys really mean it...?"

"Of course. We'll do everything we can to help."

"Us too!" A new voice called out, and the trio turned towards the interior of the Foyer as all the rest of the Smashers emerged from the various hallways leading into the grand entrance room. It was evident that they had all heard the story, for their responses were all alike.

"Aw... HOW SAD IS THAT?"

"Poor Ryka!"

"That Jasper's a nutjob!"

"Yeah, we can't let him get away with that!"

Roy was surprised to see so much reaction, looking very puzzled. Mario approached to explain. "It's easy to hear stuff from a room this big."

The mamkute blinked, watching as they all came in, gathering together with soft conversations slowly cooling down. Roy stared on in surprise, than glanced back down at Mario. "Is this...?"

"We have a fellow Smasher in peril, and it's our duty as a whole team to save her," Mario confidently explained. "I think it's obvious that everyone agrees on the decision."

"Speak for yourself!"

"_HEY, SHUT YOUR FACE, BOWSER!_" Mario snapped, tired of the Koopa King's attitude. "Ahem... _Anyways_, we'll all help out too."

"Huh, not a bad idea," Link nodded. "Jasper sounds like the kind of coward who's got loads of goonies." He patted Roy on the back hard. "Looks like you've got the whole team on your side, half-dragon!"

Roy smiled as everyone voiced their agreements one way or another. A sense of determination and encouragement echoed throughout the air as, for once, the Smashers were united under a single cause.

"Ahem..." And then Samus stepped up to voice her own opinion. "That's great and all, but how are we gonna find them if Roy was unconscious when they left?"

All was quiet as most tried to ponder this over. Roy's quick mind, however, beat them all to the punch. "I know how," he answered, beginning an empowering stroll towards the dorms. He never had to push past anyone as they all cleared out of his way at his fiercely indomitable aura, then, curious as to what he would do, they swiftly followed behind. For a moment, only Link and Marth were left, quite confused as to what had just happened.

"...Well..." the cobalt prince spoke first. "...that was a bit on the... unexpected side..."

"Heh, you're telling me!" Link laughed. "The Smashers getting together to save another? What's this world coming to, eh?"

Marth gave out a small chuckle before a thought crossed his mind. Indeed, it was rare when the Smashers put rivalries aside and joined together; the last time that happened was when Vanuto attacked the Mansion in dragon form, and there they were _forced_ to join forces. And yet Roy and Ryka's plight had succeeded in moving them enough from them all to band together and lend a hand to help the half-dragons in need. With this in mind, a smile crossed Marth's face, puzzling Link.

"Huh? What is it?"

"Ah...nothing..." Marth shook his head, though the smile was still there. He began his stroll to catch up with the others. "Come on, slowpoke! Let's see what Roy's got up his sleeve."

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Roy worked fast, ignoring the watching eyes around him as he pulled out a clean vial for whatever he was going to cook up. Once again, he cut into his fingertip with his pocket knife and produced a thin line of crimson blood. He allowed a few drops to fill the tube as he had always done, and again he used the knife to heat up the substance and purify it.

Most Smashers were quiet in watching, even as the latecomers, Link and Marth, entered from behind and tried to get a good view. But as they settled in, the elf's astute hearing caught a whispering, painfully familiar voice.

"This is so bogus..."

Briefly, Link turned to give Captain Falcon an odd stare. "What's _your_ problem?"

"Sure, whatever, the rest of them can go on this wild chase, but why do _I_ have to?" he grumbled, obviously one of the few who were forced to jump on the band wagon like everyone else. Normally he would've simply told the bounty hunter to shut up, but Link was in too much of a good mood to be so bitter, so the Hylian grinned in a most feyish manner as he began a different approach.

"Y'know, Falcon..." he started, voice equally quiet to preserve the scene around them. "Roy told me once that dragons have a natural habit of hoarding treasure. Has to do with building their nest or courtship or something like that." He paused to let that info soak in through Falcon's thick skull. "So, this guy, Jasper, he hunts dragons, right? Imagine how much treasure he gets from their dens..."

Slowly, very slowly, this fact began to dawn on Falcon as the scowl disappeared. "Ooh... Hey, yeah..."

Link smirked. "You're a bounty hunter, so you can just accept it as paying for bagging a poacher, right?"

"Hehe, yeah..."

"Right on." Knowing he wouldn't complain anymore, Link turned his attention back to the center of the dorm where everyone else's were.

His blood turned chartreuse, Roy opened his cabinets and searched hastily through them, finger reading across every label of the tubes and flasks. "Salamander grease, salamander grease...Can someone help me look for salamander grease?"

"Okay!" CRASH!

"...without breaking anything..."

"Sorry..."

Fox's eyes scanned through the cabinets until they landed on a particular flask with a strange label that wrapped around its base. Curious, the vulpine took it in his hand and gazed at a picture of a yellow, black-spotted, six-legged salamander.**(1)**

"Oh! Thanks, Fox." Before Fox could ponder of it, Roy snatched the flask from his hand, leaving the kitsune to blink in confusion. As quickly, yet carefully, as he could, he poured a fair amount of the ochre, syrupy substance into the vial with his purified blood. There was an instant reaction as the new product bubbled and fizzed, almost overflowing the top. Roy blew on it to prevent this, then stared intently at the green concoction as if preparing himself.

"Ooh, what's that?"

"What's it gonna do?"

"He's not gonna _drink_ it, is he?"

But opposed to that particular statement, Roy faced the crowd of Smashers almost boldly, raised the vial to his lips, and lifted it in a hefty swig. The response was as immediate as it was predictable.

"_EWWWWWWWWW!_"

After swallowing the last drop, Roy coughed up a puff of green smoke, as it was obvious the potion was not tasteful. And then he stood and stared off into space, waiting. The room held its breath, waiting to see what would happen next. When Roy's eyes began to blink rapidly, Marth pushed through the crowd to see if anything was wrong.

"...you okay, Roy?"

"_Oooooh_..." The boy tipped over dizzily into Marth's arms, eyes wide and pupils dilating as if adjusting to some bright light. "Whoa, okay, hang on a sec..." He took a minute to adjust, but at last his pupils narrowed like a cat's, giving off a reptilian feel to their appearance.

Marth looked at Roy in surprise. "Whoa, Roy, what was that supposed to _do_ to you?"

Roy blinked a bit more. "Well... it was supposed to enhance the senses a lot... Wow, it feels weird..."

"Does that mean it worked?"

But the half-dragon's nose twitched as it caught a whiff of something. Turning it up, Roy sniffed the air, then his nose wrinkled and he made a face of revulsion. "Aw, jeez...!" He turned swiftly to one Smasher, and all attention shifted to Captain Falcon.

"...what?"

"You haven't showered since this morning, have you?"

"Well...!... no..."

The Smashers gasped, and Falcon immediately sought to heal his injured pride. Hey, I was _just_ going to when his sob-story stopped me!" Regardless of whether that was true or not, those close to him inched away all the same. "Oh, come on! You guys didn't notice before!"

Attention was set back to Roy, who suddenly muttered, "...I heard that Bowser."

"Wha...? **_I DIDN'T EVEN SAY NOTHING!_**" the Koopa bellowed quite loudly.

"No, but you were thinking it," Roy answered in such a way that gave them the impression that he actually was true to what he was saying.

Bowser, however, failed to catch that. "Oh, so, what, that potion's made you _psychic_ now?"

"No. But your hostile brainwaves could be heard a mile away."

The Koopa King gaped, unsure of how to counter that. In fact, everyone had been left in that same dimwitted state in response to Roy's actions.

Finally, Marth was the first to recover. "...I think that potion of yours worked."

"Me too," Roy agreed, grinning at the prince with a friendly, reptilian glance.

"...Okay..." Once more, Samus sought to fill the plot holes of whatever plan Roy had in mind. "So what do enhanced senses do for us?"

The sly mamkute grinned, waiting for one of them to figure it out. At last, Fox snapped his fingers as it came to him. "To track Jasper down!"

At Roy's nod, the Smashers all cried out in realization. Now it was finally starting to make sense.

"Let's head out to the mountains and go from there!" Mario commanded, and upon that, the Smashers flooded out the door. Roy watched them all go, waiting for the crowd in the doorway to thin, then smiled at Link and Marth, took their wrists with both hands, and tugged them along to finally get the rescue started.

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**(1)** Six-legged salamanders are known for their magical properties. And the grease is the slime they coated themselves with, so none were harmed. :)

A/N: Um... hooray!

Ed: You run out of things to say?

Pretty much.

Kim: TOO BAD! (beats me with a soda can) DENT!

AH! OW! OUCH!

Link: ...yep, everything's the authoresses' fault.

Eliwood: At LAST! Someone to blame my son's craziness on!

Roy: (running in circles) 8D

Please review!


	10. The Search

A/N: Okay, time to get this rolling again.

Ed: Where have you BEEN? (bop)

OW! ROY!

Roy: (burn) 8D

Ed: O.O WAAAA! (runs in circles)

Eliwood: Ooh... (stares at pretty fire)

Kim: Ooh... (does the same)

Link: -.-;

Blame the stupid document manager for the delay. So, ONWARD!

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Chapter 10: The Search

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Night's gloom was still covering the world, but the great full moon hung in the sky and provided a good amount of light. They reached the mountains quickly, and Roy led them to the cave where they would start off. We few investigated the cavern, the others waited patiently while observing their surroundings, as well as the view.

"Wow, this view is great!" Link gazed out while standing on the cliff beside Marth. "Betcha it looks even better during the day!"

"We'll have to come up here on a clear day and see." Marth pointed eastward. "Hey, and you can kinda see a bit of Hal too!"

The elf turned to see for himself. "Where?...oh, yeah!" Against the darkness of the night, he barely caught the sight of a few of the taller buildings of the nearest city of Hal. "Neat!"

As others roamed about the area, it was much quieter in the cavern as Roy slinked across the ground, swift eyes scanning for tracks, which were plentiful.

"...I don't think I was out for that long," he announced his conclusion to the few within. These tracks are only a couple hours old."

"So, they've had a two-hour head-start, eh?" Mario sighed. "That's great..."

"Yeah, but the group's big, and they have a dragon traveling with them, so we're bound to catch up," Fox reasoned.

Roy tried to ignore the "dragon" part of that comment, as it would only get him depressed over Ryka. When his eyes caught something else among the prints, he sought to change the subject, scraping up a handful of dirt and holding it up for the other two to see.

"You see those red speckles in there?" he asked, and the two looked at the clump of sand carefully.

"Oh, yeah, I see them!" said Mario.

"That's the dragon dust Jasper used."

"What _is_ dragon dust, anyway?" Fox asked.

"It's the condensation of dragon breath," Roy replied, turning his cupped hand and allowing the dust to pour back onto the ground. "Loads of magical properties in it."

"Ah, so it's used in a lot of charms and spells, right?" Mario ventured.

"Yeah... Mainly... taming spells..." he responded softly, closing his hand in a tight fist when the last speck of dirt fell to the ground. Knowing the worries in his heart, the plumber and kitsune exchanged glances.

"...Hey, don't sweat it, Roy," Mario assured with a smile. "Ryka's a tough girl. I think she'll be able to hold on a bit longer for us."

Hearing this, Roy sighed and nodded, then turned his attention back to the tracks on the ground. Tracing their path with his finger, he followed them out of the cave with Mario and Fox trailing behind.

"The henchmen roamed around a bit, then they all exited the cave as a group..." he mused to himself, gaining attention of the other Smashers. "...they hiked down the mountains and went..." He stepped up to the cliff's side in-between Marth and Link, pointing his nose up and taking a whiff of the air. With the desired odors crawling into his nostrils, he turned and pointed eastward like a bloodhound. "That way. They traveled straight that way."

"What, towards Hal?" Marth asked skeptically. "Not the smartest move, I'd say. A group like that would draw attention to itself in the city, even at this time at night."

Fox shook his head. "I don't think they even reached Hal. It's more than a couple hours away on foot, especially for such a large group."

Mario thought about this, than said, "Unless they went underground."

They all turned to him questioningly, and he explained. "There's an underground cavern just west of Hal. It's a mining area that used to dig up silver, but it was closed down years ago when it dug up all there was. I think it's connected to a couple abandoned subway stations."

"Oh, I get it," Link mused. "Jasper hides Ryka down below while he sneaks back aboveground and continues his operations in the city."

"Huh. Gotta admit, that's pretty crafty." Fox faced Mario. "Any idea where the entrance to this mine is?"

Mario ruefully shook his head. "Nope. They sealed it off and even regrew the grass around the area. No one has found it yet, though I'll bet Jasper finally uncovered it."

"Well, we don't want to draw unwanted attention, so we'll just have to find it too," Marth confirmed.

A deep groan snapped everyone's attention back to Roy, who looked to be in some strain, his face contorted and fists clenched. Instantaneously, Marth was at his side.

"Roy, are you alri- _whoa!_" The prince pulled away in shock as the boy's cape began to slither around his neck as if alive, migrating to his back, where two lumps of flesh and bone pushed themselves out and extended further and further. The fabric of the cape seemed to melt into the shifting flesh, and with a small glow and a slight flap, there upon Roy's back was a pair of bat-like wings, their length reaching down past his waist. After taking his time to recover, the half-dragon opened his eyes to the thundershocked gapes on the other Smashers' faces.

"..._Whoa, Roy!_" Link exclaimed, darting up behind him and poking the spiky ends of each spur. "Oh, so cool! I thought you said you couldn't transform!"

"I can get the wings down, but not the whole thing." He faced the others, striving to explain. "I wanna get an aerial view so I can find the entrance."

Mario blinked. "...You can do that?"

Roy nodded. "Yeah, but I need some help getting off the ground." His wings gave another flap as if reminding the others of their presence. "They look big, but they're too small to lift of by themselves to reach the altitude I need. I'll need a bit of a launch."

"A launch, huh?" A female voice drew attention to Samus, who stepped up in her suit, sans her helmet, with her long sandy blonde hair in a bun. "I can help you there."

"...for once," Link finished, a smirk hiding behind his hand.

"Shut up, Point-ears," the bounty hunter growled at the sarcastic elf, ignoring his chuckle and turning back to Roy. "What do you say?"

He nodded. "Thanks, Samus."

"What do we do?" Mario asked.

"Me 'n Samus will launch from up here," Roy answered as if he had already considered this. "The rest of you head on down the mountain and trek east. If the entrance is west of the city like you said, I'll find it somewhere between here and Hal."

"Right, and we'll meet you there when you find it," Mario agreed, facing the majority group of Smashers. "Alright, guys, let's head on down, eastward!"

"Have a good flight, Roy!" Link grinned, giving him a tiny salute. Marth nodded in encouragement, and the two began their hike down with the rest.

Roy watched them leave silently, then glanced down questioningly at Samus, who was for some odd reason adjusting the boots of her suit. "So... how are we gonna...?"

"Easy." She gestured a finger over her shoulder. "Climb on."

Roy's eyes shifted to the jet boosters upon her back. "...You sure about that? I mean, I know I can't be carried because I need the freedom of my wings, but..."

"I know," Samus replied nonchalantly, turning a couple knobs and screws.

"But the jet boosters..."

"I'm not using the jet boosters." She smirked. "I'm testing out a new feature."

She pressed a switch on the side of her heel, and a column of blue plasma energy poured out of the bottom. Roy stared in surprise.

"Jet_boots_...?"

"Damn right." She pressed the switch again, and the energy disappeared as she checked it over one last time.

Roy blinked. "What's the difference?"

Samus gave him an inward glance. "Well, for starters, it's on the feet."

Roy rolled his eyes. "Well, no duh."

"Hehe," Samus chuckled as she stood. "Anyways, it not only suspends flight a bit longer, but it also allows me to carry cargo like you without toasting it."

"Ah..." Roy nodded, and in spite of himself, he grinned. "Cool."

"So what're you waiting for? If she's under that nutjob's spell, Ryka won't be saving herself."

With that brought to his mind, Roy grew serious and climbed onto her back, clamping his hands onto her round shoulder pads tightly. With experience, he tilted his wings and tested the wind as Samus lifted up her helmet.

"You can let go when you've got your momentum, right?"

"Yeah."

"Alright." She settled her helmet on, then clicked the heels of her boots together.

As the energy was released, Samus pushed off the cliff, giving her the momentum to shoot upwards like a bullet. Roy almost fell off, but held on with digging fingernails, the back of his body waving like a flag. But his wings were kept stiff, floating above the wind and catching it like a parachute, forcing him to slow down while Samus kept moving forward at an alarming speed. But though Roy's fingers began to slip, he felt completely in control as the graceful feeling of flight began to take hold. So he released his grip with a slight push in order not to strain himself further than he had to, and at last, he was truly in the air.

To Roy, this was the best part about being a dragon. The gargantuan strength and abilities of flame were great and all, but the power of flight was incomparable. The exhilarating feeling of the wind smacking against him and making his hair and clothes dance, the swift speeds he reached, the grand sensation of freedom as all the cares were left on the ground below him... Roy lived for the experience that lifted his heart and freed his soul.

But there would be time for enjoying this wonderful feeling later, as there was a much more dire situation at hand and a task he had to complete. He glanced down briefly at the Smashers, pointing upwards and announcing his presence above them with cheers. Motivated by their encouragement, Roy began his search, scanning the grassy plains with his enhanced eyes for any signs of something odd.

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"Look! There he is!" One of the children Smashers pointed up towards the heavens at the small dot against the navy blue tapestry that flew overhead. They all watched and cheered as Roy circled above them, allowing them to catch up as he searched.

"Wow!" Link grinned, dazzled at the thought of his friend soaring in the sky. Waving, he shouted, "WOO! GO ROY!"

Marth couldn't help but smile and shake his head at the Hylian's carefree behavior, then glanced up himself at the half-dragon as he gave a few flaps of his wings to keep his balance. The prince was amazed himself, remembering how Roy had willed the partial transformation with such ease. He knew the Pherean's love of flying, and now that he could create a good pair of wings anytime he wished, Marth could only imagine how elated he would be when he realized he could now fly whenever he wanted to.

As he was thinking this, he was quietly watching Roy's floating figure, when suddenly he stopped abruptly, suspended by the continuous flap of his wings. It seemed he had spotted what he was looking for as he began to descend towards a high hill not too far away.

"He found it!" someone announced, and the group immediately began to migrate to where Roy had swiftly landed, couching beside the hill and investigating it. The Smashers watched as he leaned on the hill's side, digging his fingers into the dirt and laying down his head as if listening for something. When he was satisfied, he stood and announced, "This is it."

Fox blinked. "You sure?"

"Yep. Jasper sealed it well, but it's here. Now, everyone back off," he ordered, and the Smashers did so without protest. The boy turned back to the hillside, then held out his hands, and with his interior glow lit, a small flame began to grow. But when it reached a medium size, he compressed it with his hands, shaping the fire into a compact ball. Carefully, he set the ball down on the hillside, and it planted itself to the ground like a motion sensor bomb. He stood and took a few steps back, one of his fists clenched as if holding the ball in its form. When he was a safe distance away, he released the fist, and the ball lost its sustenance, exploding in a fiery inferno. Tiny embers leaped onto the grass, igniting small fires here and there, but Roy only had to twirl his fingers, and they snuffed out with trials of smoke. Clouds of kicked-up, charred dirt soon cleared away to reveal an opening, framed with wooden planks, leading downwards like a mining tunnel. If you ignored the burnt edges around the rim, it looked as if this entrance was never covered.

"Ooh..." the Smashers gazed down the tunnel, amazed at how easy it was to find it. They then looked at Roy, who suddenly began to sway dizzily, falling into Marth's arms.

"You alright, Roy?"

"Ugh..." He blinked his eyes rapidly, and his reptilian eyes shifted and became human again. "Unh... I think it wore off."

"The potion?"

"Yeah." Recuperating himself, Roy stood and gazed down the cavern. "But now at least we know where we're going."

"Right on!" Mario trilled, gesturing to the Smashers like a motivated commander leading an army into battle. "Come on, guys! Let's beat that Jasper creep!"

There was a wild cheer, and they all flooded into the entrance like an anxious school of fish. This time, Roy was the one in front of them group, driven on by fierce determination.

_Just hang on, Ryka...We're coming!_

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A/N: Huzzah! I is almost there!

Ed: Only a few more chapters before we're OUTTA HERE! (does a dance)

Roy: Aw... I don't WANNA go...

Kim: You can stay during the sequel, alright?

Roy: WOOHOO! 8D

Link: Oh, goddesses... ANOTHERstory to spent with him?

Eliwood: (stare) ...Why is it your attitude is totally different from the one in the story?

Link: Because that's HER story. Not mine.

Eliwood: We need like... a personality switch for you.

I'm already working on that! 8D

Eliwood: Hooray!

Link: O.O (growing very afraid)

Review, please! And if you don't mind, could you go look at my other story, Keyhole? It's a joint fic between me and Skye Agony, and has no reviews as of it. I'd really appreciate it!


	11. Confrontation

A/N: ...whoopsie. Ehehe... been a while huh?

Ed: (sleeping) zzzzzzz...

Roy: (watching paint dry, drooling) Blaaaaaahhh...

Kim: (comatose) ...

Link: Yeeeeeaahhh... Maybe.

Sorry, this was a long chappie to type up... And I've been working so much on Keyhole, which only has TWO REVIEWS! GRRR!

Eliwood: Go read it, guys! The more reviews, the happier EVERYONE is!

Hooray! Anyways, better not delay it any longer!

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Chapter 11: Confrontation

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Mine #7 was a large, underground cavern, lit with old discolored lamps hanging from a chain of electrical wires running along the cave's corridors. The air was stale, old as the mine itself. Dusty tables, rusted equipment, and overturned mine carts were left like artifacts of a grand site of ruins. It would've been more wise to leave everything the way it was, but Jasper was way too impulsive to even consider it.

So he stored all his possessions and equipment in the breaker rooms and used the main mining cavern as a conference room for him and his team. As of now, the man sat at one of the tables, gazing out above his large collection of buff hunters, in his own world as he imagined himself a very rich man; well, at least slightly richer than before.

"...um..." one of the hunters, voted by the group to represent them, spoke out hesitantly, "...Jasper?"

"Hmm...? ...Oh, yes! Back to buzinezz!" He sat up eagerly, close to giggling happily. "Az I promeezed, I vill split ze profits ninety-ten..."

"..." The voted leader was most timid. "Um... ahem, sir... shouldn't we worry more about the dragon...?"

Jasper gave him a sharp look. "And vhat exactly are jou zo worried about?"

"Well..." The man's gaze slowly moved upwards to the ceiling. Up high, hanging from a single chain, a cage was built, made of old iron. It was originally meant to hold a large amount of canaries, but now it held an placid olive green dragon. "...First off, I'm not too confident about how we're keeping the dragon held."

"She ez fine!" Jasper barked. "Jou zeem to forget how she ez under my spell! he ez completely harmless! Zat cage ez all we need!"

"Um...okay..." His confidence shattered, he tried to bring up other concerns. "Also... shouldn't we worry more about how we're going to extract each dragon part, and where we'll distribute each part...?"

"Jeez, open your ears!" Jasper was losing his nonexistent patience. "I already explained zat! Ve kill her, zen travel back to Europe to zell zem to manufacturers!" He scowled down at them as they exchanged doubtful looks, ignoring the warm feeling growing behind him. "Argh! Vhat doez et take to get jour attention?"

SNAP.

_FWOOM!_

"...?" At the odd sound, Jasper paused, then smelled smoke. Alarmed, he turned and squealed like a female as he realized his rear end had been set on fire. A roar of laughter echoed throughout the cavern, with more voices than just the team of hunters, as Jasper hopped about like a caffeined rabbit, trying to put the fire out. When he finally clapped it out, his team cleared the way to expose the corridor that led to the secret entrance outside the city. There stood a group of odd-looking people Jasper did not recognize, all except the young redhead who was leading the bunch.

"_You!_" he screeched, taking a few stomping steps forward. "Jou are zat dragon sorcerer who tired to get in ze way! Vhat do jou vant now?"

Roy's eyes narrowed. "I 'vant' you to let the 'Half-dragon' go. Now."

Jasper stood defiantly. "Or else vhat?"

Instantly, the Pherean answered, "Or else the professional fighters behind me will beat the snot out of you and your team."

The hunters began to fidget nervously under the stern stare of the Smashers. Unlike Jasper, who was too obsessed with dragons to know of anything outside the topic, the men were aware of who these people were.

Jasper ignored all of this, his smug attention all trained on Roy's unreadable face. "I say jou are bluffing."

To his surprise, Roy's face relaxed as he shrugged indifferently. "Alright, have it your way."

The hunters' eyes bulged in unison as the Smashers held their battle stances and/or drew various weapons. Jasper's smug look vaporized.

"Oh, and by the way... I'm no dragon sorcerer..."

Then, with a mighty flap, his wings unfolded and revealed themselves, scaring Jasper witlessly as he jumped and squealed in surprise.

"I'm the real deal."

And with that said, he leaped into the air, the signal for the Smashers to attack. As he back-flipped and nimbly landed behind the group, they had already met the hunters and began the great battle as planned.

In truth, the fight was only meant to be a distraction while Roy would search for Ryka, if she was still alive. Thankfully, he could see her up by the ceiling, caged, entranced, but alive. Roy sighed regrettably; getting their was possible, but he didn't know if he could snap her out of her taming spell. Regardless, he had to try.

The mamkute began to scaly the rocky wall behind him, the claws of his wings latching on and helping to keep his footing. As he touched the ceiling, he carefully turned and pressed his back against the crevice, trying to calculate whether he could make the jump to Ryka's cage and not fall into the insane brawl below. Stretching his wings, Roy took the unlikely risk and pushed off the wall, gliding through thick subterranean air. Just as he began to drop, he reached out and grasped the bottoms of the vertical bars of the cage, causing it to swing wildly, but barely saving him from one extremely close call. He glanced down with wide eyes and a sweating brow as he was suspended above the wild melee, watching hunters get their faces pummeled and their guns chopped by swords.

A small grumble brought Roy's attention back up to within the cage, where Ryka the dragon seemed to be awakening from a long nap, struggling to recognize her surroundings. Straining the muscles in his arms, Roy pulled himself up, slipping his knees between the bars to get a solid perch on the wearily swinging cage. He poked his head through and began to talk to her.

"Ryka... Ryka, can you hear me...?" he asked softly.

The dragon opened her eyes, foggy orbs of sapphire gazing through him as she gave out another growl.

"Ryka, please..." he pleaded, reaching out and touching her cheek with his hand. "It's me... Wake up, please..."

Ryka seemed to grow tense, her face contorting, but with a soft caress from Roy she seemed to calm down, and gave a soft whine.

Roy was losing his hope, ignoring the sting in his eyes. "...Ryka..."

And then he noticed when she began to sniff that same hand against her face, trying to identify the scent. Then, when it came to her, she gave off a peculiar sound; a small, soft yelp.

Roy inclined his head, trying to interpret this. He knew it was Dragon Tongue, but he couldn't translate what that sound meant. And then it dawned on him. He remembered Ryka explaining to him the process of naming in Dragon Tongue before human names became more practical: a fellow dragon was announced by a particular sound he or she made or was known for making frequently. With this in mind, Roy thought back to when Ryka first came to SSB, when he was still nervous when she was around. Whenever she walked in on him, he made that same exact yelp of surprise.

She was calling to him. She knew it was him!

She gave out another yelp, near desperately, and Roy answered with a soft roll at the back of his throat, meaning "yes," as he caressed her soothingly. And it seemed that was all that was needed to break the spell, for soon after, Ryka groaned in her human voice, awakening as her eyes fluttered open. Realizing this, Roy smiled when she glanced up at him, eyes clear.

"...R-Roy...?"

The boy beamed in happiness, nodding.

Ryka gazed around, and judging by her surroundings, it wasn't hard to figure out her predicament. Looking back up at Roy, she moaned, "Roy... you... you came for me..."

"Of course I did," he assured softly. "We all did."

"...But... w-why...?"

"Because you're a fellow Smasher to them... and a friend to me." He grinned. "And I'm known for taking crazy risks for my friends."

"...Oh, Roy!" Ryka cried out, and she nuzzled against him as he brought his arms through the bars and around her neck in a comforting embrace. Words could not express how grateful she truly was. She never before had a friend like Roy, someone who faced danger for her, someone willing to risk for her safety, someone who truly cared about her. For a moment, she realized the joy within all the dragons she protected and served.

With this gladness, it took her a minute to remember the situation at hand. As she drew away from Roy, her movement caused the cage to swing, and both tensed up.

"...Okay, where are we?" Ryka finally asked.

"We're in an abandoned mine near the city, in a cage hanging from the ceiling above a battle between the Smashers and Jasper's henchmen," Roy answered firmly.

"That's just great..." Ryka mumbled, regaining her old, brisk attitude.

Roy observed the metal of the cage, flicking his finger against it and listening to its sound. "Hmm. Rusted iron alloy. A blast of your breath could probably melt it."

Ryka blinked. "...Are you sure that's smart? You said we were above a battle, right...?"

"Yeah..." He glanced around. "But I think I can manage it. Go on, do it."

Ryka shrugged. "Alright." Her face began to contort as she lit her internal glow. Roy nodded in approval, then glanced over his shoulder, and his confidence evaporated. His wings had melted back into a cape without him realizing it, and now he was flightless.

"N-no, wait, RYKA...!" But he knew it was too late. Once the flame was lit, it was near impossible to put it out.

Ryka threw back her head and released her breath, toasting the old iron bars before her. Roy had just enough time to slip off and duck under, the flames cascading just above him. He watched as the metal glowed a hot orange and melted as easily as ice. He grimaced as the heat traveled and burned his hands where they were still gripping, and when he couldn't take the pain any longer, he let go and began to fall.

Screaming, Roy dropped slowly like a shot bird, below him the massive melee of enraged fighters that would tear him apart if they got the chance, making the ground as dangerous as lava. He braced himself for impact, but then he felt a rush of wind and hit something soft, breaking his fall.

Terrified, Roy's eyes were shut tight and his body was trembling, but then he heard the mighty sound of grand wings flapping against the tight air. His eyes snapped open, and he found himself upon the back of a green dragon in flight.

"Ryka!"

She turned and gave him a wry smirk. "What, you think I'd let you fall? Guess your wings faded without you knowing it, huh?"

"Yeah... w-whoa..." More timid due to that close call, Roy held on to Ryka's neck tightly and thanked the Gods for her watchful eye.

"Hey! Check it out! Look up!" someone called out, a finger pointing upwards. By now, most of the hunters had been taken care of, and nearly all Smashers were free of distractions. In fact, Link punched the jaw of the last one before glancing up himself. He then, with a few others, cheered as the dragon with her rider circled above. As she swept in low, Roy glanced upon the excited Smashers as they jumped about in joy and hollered in victory. This gave him the motivation to sit up and raise a fist in triumph, and the cheers only grew.

Finally, Ryka landed near the entrance of the cavern, crouching down to allow Roy to dismount. He did so shakily, collapsing onto the earth with sudden exhaustion. Understanding, Ryka nuzzled him.

"You stay here, Roy," she told him, soft face hardening as she glanced toward the adversary. "I'm not running away from this monster any longer. He's going down here and now."

"W-wait, Ryka!" Roy cried out helplessly, but she was already off, her sights on Jasper, who stood terrified at all his protectors unconscious on the ground, not to mention the enraged dragon coming his way. The Smashers wisely cleared a pathway as Ryka thundered by, charging straight towards her mortal enemy. But as she did so, Jasper's hand slowly went for his belt, and when she was close enough, he swiveled around and stuck a sharp, silver blur into her tender shoulder.

"RYKA!" Many Smashers called out as she howled in pain, withdrawing in weakness as Jasper smirked and pulled the peculiar weapon out of her flesh. The tiny dagger looked to be a tooth of a mighty beast, curved slightly and sharpened to the extreme. As they all stared at it curiously, Jasper chuckled mockingly towards Ryka, waving the weapon in her face, flinching.

"Aw, vhat's ze matter? Doez ze dragon fang truly hurt ze Half-dragon zo much? Hmm?" He smirked when Ryka cringed deeper in realization. "Zat's right, only dragons can penetrate dragon zkin. Zo, only kin can deztroy kin. Zo zorry to end et zis way for jou, but I 'ave a buzinezz to run back home!" He raised the knife, ready to bring it down for the killing blow...

"**_STOP!_**"

At that shriek, all attention snapped back to Roy, who was standing firmly with newly-awakened strength fueled by his fury. The anger in his eyes glared deeply at Jasper, even getting him to stop short, lowering his dragon-fang dagger.

"_YOU!_ You... **_FREAK!_**" Roy snarled, fists trembling in rage... or was it deep pain? "You _MONSTER!_ It's people like YOU who are the reason why dragons are disappearing!" He cringed deeply, shutting his eyes tightly. "_You... are going.. to **PAY!**_"

With that said, he collapsed to his knees, allowing the process to take over. A few worried Smashers tried to go over to see what was wrong with him, but Link and Marth, who easily guessed what was happening, held them back and told them to simply watch his transformation unfold.

And so they watched with stunned faces as Roy's body grew and curved like a snake, his clothing melting into his skin as it shifted from soft to scaly. Hands and feet shifted into claws and talons, a long tail extending out and majestic wings stretching to their fullest length. After a soft glow, the spectators beheld a cerulean blue dragon, with a golden belly, deep purple and red wings, and a shaggy mop of auburn hair. As he raised his head up, the somewhat cute, round snout was countered by hard, reptilian eyes of sapphire directed at a thundershocked Jasper, who looked about ready to faint.

"WOW!" several Smashers cried out in amazement.

"He... he did it," Marth announced softly, astounded. "He... transformed!"

"WOO! Alright, ROY!" As expected, Link whooped and hollered in excitement. "KICK THE CREEP'S BUTT!"

As others began to join him in cheer, Roy began to slowly move forward, claws and talons scraping against the weak soil as he padded through the path they had cleared for him. His face was unmoving, his focus glued to Jasper, who shakily took a couple steps back until he nearly tripped over a table behind him. When his hand reached back to lean on it for support, it landed on a small bag, and as he remembered what was inside, he regained some of his calmness, even as Roy the dragon came closer and closer.

But even so, Jasper squirmed and yelped as Roy began to swing his claws when he got close enough, intending to slash him into submission. The poacher leaped about, dodging each swing, when he was suddenly knocked off when Roy smashed the table in half. With this distraction, Jasper had just enough time that once he landed with a swift roll, he reached into the bag for a handful of dragon dust. And before Roy could turn and see it coming, the magical dust was tossed into his eyes, and he shrieked in annoyance. Jasper smirked; Roy was already his, he just had to exclaim the spell.

"_Ivàhsi yüduin! Enimôr tam inspelz! Boyar ugôner gedit!_"

All was silent as everyone seemed to hold their breath, waiting for Roy's reaction as he rubbed his eyes disgruntledly. Jasper waited for him to look up, and when he did, the color drained from his face as the half-dragon's eyes were clear.

"...V-vhat? Et.. didn't vork?"

Roy instantly smirked in response. "You said it wrong."

"I vhat?"

"You mispronounced a word, so the spell didn't work." Roy leaned forward, his snout inches away from Jasper's mortified face. "And it looks to me like you're out of ideas."

"...I-I..."

Roy then sat up and focused, lighting his inner glow. Somehow, the poacher knew what was going to happen next.

"No..."

The half-dragon's face contorted...

"No!"

He threw back his head...

"NOOOOOOOO!"

And he released his fiery breath upon a helpless Jasper, and a scream of agony was his only response. When Roy was done, he stood there in a charred mess, then collapsed into a fetal position, whimpering like a hurt puppy.

With the battle finally over, there was a round of victorious cheering from the Smashers before they began to roam about to gather all the unconscious hunters. Roy plopped back on his hind legs, letting out a tired sigh as he watched a few of them surround a burnt Jasper.

"Ooh, jeez, he looks totally cooked," Fox grunted.

"Nah, I held myself back," Roy replied. "The damage to his skin isn't nearly as bad as it looks."

"What do we do with him?" Mario asked.

"Take him to the authorities, and I'll contact the NDS **(1)** later to pick him up."

"Alright." They gathered around and picked him up by the scrawny limbs, ignoring his squeals and screams whenever they moved him, which was constant, as they carried him off.

"Roy..." His soft name turned his gaze at Ryka, who looked a little tired, but a smile crossed her snout all the same. "You... you've done it. You not only brought down Jasper, you... transformed."

"Yeah... I finally did do it, huh?"

Ryka smiled, then suddenly hissed and withdrew in pain. Roy was instantly at her side, finding the source of her hurt in the stab wound in her shoulder, draining jade blood at a quick rate. Roy gazed at the injury in thought, wondering if he could be able to do what he had in mind. Then again, it was Ryka, so he had to give it a try.

With that, he reached in to start a different glow, one that was soft and warm, light and comforting. With this, he leaned above the wound and blew softly, and out came an icy blue flame that covered it like an adhesive bandage. One could see the pain in Ryka's face fade away as the wound sealed up, any evidence of it erased by Roy's soft flame. When it was completely gone, Ryka smiled proudly at Roy.

"The Soft Flame **(2)**... you knew of it?"

Roy shrugged. "I came across it a few times in my readings, so I gave it a shot."

"Wow. That was going to be your last lesson after you learned how to transform, but it looks like you can do it just fine."

Roy grinned. "So that means..."

Ryka nodded. "You pass."

"Alright!" He beamed, his wings flared up in triumph, and he turned down to where Link and Marth were approaching him. "Hey, guys! I passed all my lessons!"

"Awesome! Nice going, Roy!" Marth congratulated.

"Well, of _course_ you passed!" Link exclaimed, hotly but jokingly. "You tracked Jasper down and kicked his butt, AND you fully transformed! And THAT IS SO COOL!" The elf grasped his pal's cheeks with an excited grin, and Roy chuckled in response.

"So, Roy..." Ryka chimed in, entering the conversation and facing Roy as his teacher. "What do you make of all this, relating to the subconscious?"

The blonde and cobalt gave her puzzled looks, but Roy fully understood and carefully considered his answer. When he had it, he smiled confidently and began.

"Well... I think something happened during our last attempt. When our hand met... I think both of our subconscious met too."

Ryka smiled. "And what do you think they decided?"

"Well, my subconscious needed to trust in my beliefs before it felt I was ready. When it met with yours, they must've known Jasper was coming. That's why I was allowed to stop and you weren't."

Ryka nodded, only listening intently. The other two listened simply out of curiosity.

"Yeah, if I truly wanted to protect dragons, I'd not only come for you, but to do something about that creep as well. So... everything happened to their whim, simply for me to... prove myself..." He trailed off as he realized the guilt he was holding for this whole mess.

But Ryka only smiled. "Exactly. And now the subconscious trusts your intentions. It now knows you will not abuse your powers, so now it will allow you to use them whenever you wish."

Roy looked away from her warm eyes shamefully. "But... But I..."

Then, Ryka's green, bony fingers caressed his own, forcing him to glance back up at her. No blame was reflected on her face.

"You... have done a great deed for dragon kind. Do you know how long Jasper has been a threat to our very existence? His name brought terror to us all, but you had the courage to face him and you finally brought him down."

As Roy took this in, he felt her grip his clawed hand tightly, a sign he knew, and without looking up, he too shut his eyes and began his metamorphosis. As the energy stored in his body was slowly being cycled, he felt his tight fibers loosen and uncurl, feeling his body shrink in size and his bones and skin shifting to their original shape. When he felt it was over, he slowly opened his eyes to look up into the face of Human Ryka, and then he realized how pretty she truly was as a human, especially when she smiled.

"You're a true half-dragon now, Roy."

At this, Roy's face beamed, and he threw his tired arms around her in a happy embrace, and she laughed and returned the hug willingly. Ryka knew and understood his feelings of success, as she remembered when her old teacher had told her those same words. Roy had a right to be happy; he could now use his powers to carry out his noble purpose of protecting his dragon-kin. That itself was a great accomplishment.

Though the two were emotionally strong, all the energy used in the mad struggle had taken a toll on them physically. Simultaneously, and still in each others' arms, Roy and Ryka dropped to the ground, exhausted. It was slightly awkward, as Ryka had landed on top of Roy, but both were too tired to care at this point. In response, Link and Marth hurried to their sides.

"Are you two alright?" Marth instantly asked.

Link chuckled. "I think the lovebirds are just fine," he assured with a smile as Ryka used most of her strength left to roll off a poor Roy, who in response to elf's remark glared numbly.

"You... are such an ass, Link," he groaned.

The Hylian grinned. "Yeah, I know."

"WAAAAAHOOOOO!" A voice suddenly cheered and hollered in excitement, causing all attention to swerve towards another doorway. Captain Falcon then darted out, covered in golden chains and jewelry with other precious metals, holding up a clump of treasure in his hands in triumph. "CHECK IT OUT! THERE'S TREASURE GALORE BACK HERE! WE'RE STINKIN' RICH!"

The call of riches attracted many Smashers over to that room, cheering at the piles of gleaming gold and treasure that Jasper had gathered during his 20-year campaign of dragon-slaughtering. Instantly, they began gathering their bounty, excitedly bringing more Smashers over the more the eager ones showed off.

"Link, you jerk! Get back here!" Marth shouted as the fey's love of treasure got the better of him, and he darted away himself to gather his own spoils. The cobalt prince sighed in frustration.

"G-go on ahead, Marth," Roy groaned, and the Alteanian glanced down at the two half-dragons laying contently on the ground, resting. "We're alright here. Go grab yourself something nice."

Marth chuckled and nodded, darting off himself. Roy lazily dropped his head to glance at Ryka, who smiled back tiredly. Roy only grinned back as he faced the ceiling, glad the whole chaos was over.

----------

**(1)** National Dragonologists' Society, the US' Dragonologist agency.

**(2)** Idea inspired by _Dragon Rider_

A/N: Hooray! One more chappie!

Ed: And then I'm OUTTA HERE! (throws confetti everywhere)

Roy: Aww...

Kim: What're YOU sulking about? You'll BE here for the sequel.

Roy: Oh, yeah... :)

Eliwood: And the sequel's got another new character, from the Super Smash Bros. Brawl trailer! HOORAY!

Link: Considering her fanbase, I can easily guess what character it'll be.

Shh! Just review, please! Oh, and Jen, DON'T TELL ANYONE! ;)


	12. The New HalfDragon

A/N: Okay, guys, last chapter this time. Seriously.

Kim: (throws rice everywhere)

Ed: (delusional) Ah... I can hear the Heaven's Gate open and the angels sing... I)

Roy: But I get to stay! Hooray!

Link: Goddesses, why don't we just fricken ADOPT him?

Eliwood: That's a GREAT idea! I'll go get the papers!

Link: ...me and my big fat mouth. -.-;

Roy: (hugs Link) :3

Last chappie time!

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Chapter 12: The New Half-Dragon

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"Are... are you sure you have to go...?"

Ryka nodded ruefully at Roy's question as they stood atop the roof together for one last time, the rest of the Smashers (at least those who cared) standing behind them, having already said their farewells. After Jasper and his team were taken off by the NDS for disciplinary action and the newly-acquired money was placed in the SSB funds, things had begun to cool down. It was then that Ryka announced her resignation as an active Smasher.

"I'm always on the move, even when I'm not being chased down by a sadistic poacher. There are always dragons that need my help. Right now I'll be heading south into Mexico to check on the amphitheres to see if they're alright."

Roy frowned, disappointed, but feigned a smile. "I...I understand."

"Oh! Speaking of amphitheres..." Ryka smiled, reaching up to her cluster of turquoise amphithere feathers, plucking one off, and holding it to Roy. "Here. Take it."

Roy gawked, brows furrowed in embarrassment. "Oh, no, I-I can't... I mean, a dragon gave that to you..."

"If he would've seen what you've done, he would've given you ten of his feathers," Ryka responded. "Consider it a gift from dragon-kind for driving one of our worst fears away." She parted through some of his locks on the side, tucking the feather under his Pherean crown until is was secure.

Roy smiled softly in gratitude, lowering his gaze briefly, then bringing it back up when he took her hands in his. "I... I'm gonna miss you..."

"Me too, Roy."

"I...I can't thank you enough for all you've done to help me... You're the first one who truly understood..."

"Yes, but when I'm gone, you won't be alone. Look behind you." Roy did so, at all the Smashers who gazed back silently. "Look at all the brave and dedicated companions you've had all this time. Without them, rescuing me would've been near-impossible."

At this, some of the more obviously modest Smashers chuckled and waved it off like it was nothing. Roy saw this and began to feel low for forgetting about them.

"You see? You never were alone," Ryka continued. "If you truly open up and help them embrace the concept of dragons, I'm sure that'll help them understand as well."

Roy nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I will... B-but you keep in touch too, okay?"

Ryka grinned. "I'll send a messenger wyvern whenever I can."

With this said, another gentle silence was exchanged between the two, perhaps the last one they would share in a long time. And with that in mind, Roy didn't care that the entire league of Smashers were watching behind him. This was his last opportunity, and he wanted to take it. Looking up at Ryka, she caught his message and smiled, and this time, they allowed something magical to happen.

They shut their eyes and leaned forward, closing the distance between them until their lips met at last. A shocked silence filled the air in response; not even Link catcalled of cheered, standing there next to an equally surprised Marth.

A fleeting sensation took over Roy at the moment. For once, for just a sweet moment, he forgot about his dragon blood and marveled his first kiss as a teenage boy.

They soon parted, Roy and Ryka giving each other shy smiles with flushed cheeks, their hands still entwined.

"...Take care of yourself, Roy."

"You too, Ryka."

Finally, they let go, Ryka backing up slowly, facing the south to begin her journey. She already had her blue wings formed, and with a leap, she took flight. The Smashers waved and called out behind her, giving their last farewells until she disappeared over the horizon.

When all was done, most of the Smashers began to move back down into the Mansion's interior to return to their everyday routine. But Roy stayed up top, turning to the southern side of the roof, leaning over the barrier and staring into the sky aimlessly. Remembering the feather in his hair, he removed it carefully and looked it over, smoothing its edges with his fingers thoughtfully.

"So, dragons have feathers too?" Slightly startled, Roy glanced up to see Marth to his right and Link to his left, both with curious smiles on their faces.

"Ah... yeah, this one species does." He turned his gaze back to the feather, chuckling softly. "Y'know, a lot of people mistake amphitheres for giant moths because of their soft feathery wings."

There was a small silence, then Marth spoke up. "Hey, um, Roy... we thought about all this, and it looks like all this dragon stuff is a lot more... complex than we thought..."

"So can you teach us about it?" Link asked eagerly.

Roy glanced up, taken by surprise from their request. "You... you guys want to...?"

Marth nodded. "We know it's been a little hard for you ever since your discovery, and since you had a companion who understood, you seemed a lot happier, so... we wanna learn so you don't have to feel alone," he elaborated with hand gestures.

"..." Roy was quiet, taking this into consideration, feeling low of himself again. "But..."

"Oh, don't go starting the guilt trip again!" Link exclaimed, grinning. "We _want_ to learn! It sounds really cool!"

"...You guys really mean it?"

They nodded in unison. "So, where do we start?" Marth asked with a smile, which was instantly returned by the half-dragon.

"In my dorm. You guys have a lot of reading to do."

----------

"Wow, really? A messenger, already?"

"Yeah. Mario found it first, though. It ain't a pretty scene."

"Ooh... Yeah, we'd better help him out..."

Roy followed Link and Marth up towards the roof to deal with the situation. A couple weeks had passed, a time period well spent as the half-dragon shifted from a student to a teacher, passing on his knowledge to those who desired it. Things had slowly began to slip back into a normalcy that was comfortable for everyone, even Roy himself. It was this sort of fitting in, this sort of belonging, that he had been searching for all along.

But when he got word from a good friend, he couldn't help but grow excited.

Stepping out onto the roof, the trio met a strangely humorous sight. Mario was trying his best to calm down and persuade a small, sea green dragon to come down, but all he received in return were disgruntled screeches, snaps of the jaw, and the baring of the talons on its only pair of legs, rapidly flapping its wings to stay airborne. t didn't seem to like Mario very much.

"WAHH!" the plumber yelped, pulling his hat down so the dragon's talons couldn't snatch it up. "GET AWAY FROM MEEEEEE!"

"Don't worry, Mario, help's here!" Marth called. "Move over this way!"

Mario did so quickly, darting in behind the prince. The dragon would've followed to harass him some more, but a soft whistle held it back. Continuously flapping its wings to suspend itself in the air, it turned towards Roy, who approached with small footsteps, the pitch of his whistle rising and falling with precision. The dragon gazed at him curiously as he began a series of growls and trills vibrating from his throat, answering with its own questioning whinnies. After a brief exchange, Roy held out his arm, and much to the others' wonder, the dragon complied and perched upon it, folding its wings and curving its talons carefully as not to hurt him. Roy smiled, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a plastic-wrapped chicken drumstick from lunch, offering it up as a reward for its long journey. The dragon snatched it up and chewed through all of it relentlessly, swallowing meat, bone, plastic and all, then gave Roy a soft friendly nuzzle on the cheek.

Mario had taken his opportunity to leave, but Link and Marth stayed, approaching in awe as they looked over the now calm dragon as Roy stroked its neck gently.

"Wow..." Marth breathed. "It... it's a dragon. It's a real live dragon...!"

"So cool!" Link squeaked as he gleefully marveled the creature.

Taking notice of them, Roy grinned slyly. "...Okay, guys, two words: Pop. Quiz."

The two blinked in confusion for a second, but then realized what he meant and nodded.

Roy gestured to the creature perched on his arm. "What species of dragon is this?"

"Oh... ooh, dang it, I know this one...!" Link rambled in unnecessary concentration.

"Oh, come on, Link, it's a wyvern," Marth answered simply. "Remember, the one with only two legs?"

"Oh, yeah! No duh!"

Roy nodded. "Good, Marth." He held out the arm serving as the wyvern's perch. "Now you can hold it."

"R...really?" The Alteanian seemed a bit nervous after witnessing its wrath a few minutes ago.

"Go on, don't be shy." He gave the dragon a few trills, persuading it to hop on Marth's own arm, much to the prince's initial surprise. It stared at the cobalt with curious tawny eyes, and it took a minute before Marth recovered and hesitantly brought up his hand to pet its muzzle softly. It cooed and nuzzled his cheek.

"Hehe, pretty friendly once you warm up to it," Marth chuckled, and then a thought came to him. "...But wait, I thought wyverns were the largest species of dragons."

"They are," Roy answered nonchalantly as he reached for a small compartment wrapped around its leg, opening it. "But recently, dragonologists have been breeding miniature wyverns for messenger purposes." **(1)** Out popped a small cylinder, Roy took it into his hand. "They have good direction and can travel worldwide flights without rest or food. This one will need to rest here tonight before it leaves tomorrow for its journey back."

"Aw, I wanna hold it..." Link whined.

"Okay, then, what's its gender?" Roy asked.

Link thought about this, glancing at the wyvern carefully. Cautiously, he held up the creature's tail, observing the shape of its hooked end. Then he had his answer. "Oh! It's female, right?"

At Roy's nod, Link lightly cheered in a sense of accomplishment. With a few more growls from the half-dragon, the she-wyvern moved onto Link's arm as the elf joyfully began to pet it, Marth caressing her as well.

With the two busy, Roy popped open the cylinder and removed the rolled up letter inside. Unraveling it, he faced scratchy, runic letters, but he was instantly able to decipher the language and read the message clearly.

_Dear Roy,_

_How are things back at the Mansion? I am here in central Mexico with the amphitheres, who are doing pretty well considering the relentless bandits in the area. I am currently trying to persuade them against their cruel acts, but the process will take time, unfortunately, so at the same time, I am also searching for a safe haven where no humans would dare to venture. It is all I can do. _

Roy sighed and shook his head. No matter what happened, the struggle to protect the remaining dragons would always be a difficult, drawn-out process.

_The tale of your triumph over Jasper has spread like wildfire. Nearly every dragon knows your name, and the young chicks love the stories I tell them of your character and the moments we have shared. Congratulations. You are famous._

Roy grinned at that, glad that he could leave an impact on dragon-kind.

_But you do not have to stop there! I know it is hard for you to travel around at the moment, but that cave in the north mountains would be an ideal place for migrating European dragons. Perhaps soon you will have a dragon to watch over, and that is when your true task as a half-dragon will begin._

That gave him some solace. Roy had always been concerned that his connections to the SSB Tournament would hinder his ability to aid dragons, but at least he could help those who came close by.

_And who knows? Maybe later you will be able to travel a bit as well. Just make sure to bring companions with you. Our friendship has taught me the importance of companionship, especially when you leave home for a long time. It is easy for me to travel alone since I have done it for so long, but that does not mean you have to. I would personally suggest having Link and Marth with you. I have never met a pair of truer friends._

At this, Roy glanced up at the mentioned two as the wyvern playfully nipped Link's tapered ear, causing the Hylian to laugh as the beak-like mouth tickled the delicate skin. Marth watched this in amusement as he continued to pet her neck gently. Looking at them, Roy smiled to himself as he couldn't agree more with the fact that Link and Marth were the best friends a person could have.

_For now, take it nice and slow, step by step. You have made much progress, but there is still room for more. I personally believe you have the makings of a great half-dragon. Keep developing your skills, and may the winds blow good fortune your way._

_Ryka_

Roy smiled warmly, holding the letter to his heart and sending his own wishes to her. He rolled it up carefully and pocketed it, facing his friends again.

"Are we taking her downstairs?" Marth asked.

"Yeah. But lemme take her so I can keep her calm." He held out his arm, and the dragon automatically leaped back on, climbing up until she had a solid perch on his shoulder. Link and Marth couldn't help but pause for a moment; as they glanced at Roy, with the wyvern atop his shoulder, they could at last see the dragon-esque aura the mamkute was meant to give off.

"Let's head down."

----------

As expected, the dragon had attracted a lot of attention from other Smashers, especially at dinner. She took no mind of it, though; she was too busy snarfing into her meal of a full turkey eagerly. It was a little on the gross side, watching snippets of tender meat fly in all directions as she tore into it, but the Smashers knew better than to complain.

Later, as the evening came, Roy brought the wyvern into his room to get comfortable, but when he sat at his desk to write his return letter, she insisted on returning to his shoulder to watch him write it. He complied, and the two were at his desk for quite some time as Roy carefully wrote his thoughts in Dragon Rune letters.

A few hours went by without their knowing, late into the night. At last, Roy signed the letter, looking it over, satisfied. He then noticed a warm sensation pressed against the top of his head, and looking into the desk mirror, he saw the dragon had dozed off, her small head resting within his wild mop of maroon hair. Roy grinned warmly, rubbing her neck to gently wake her up. She whined tiredly.

"_I am sorry that took so long, but I am done now,_" Roy told her in Dragon Tongue. "_Go on and sleep in my nest for the night._"

By nest he meant his bed, a word the dragon would not be able to comprehend. She eagerly hopped off his shoulders and onto the bed, sniffing the blankets curiously. Roy smiled, dressing himself for bed as he watched the wyvern crawl in a circle, creating a warm indent in the sheets where she could nestle comfortably. She paused briefly as Roy climbed in under the covers, giving her a tired smile. She yawned and curved her serpentine body in a tight circle, then plopped down into her resting place, folding her wings, and fell asleep.

Roy sighed, just about ready to dose off himself. He stared at the slumbering dragon for the longest time, until fatigue pushed down his eyelids, and he began to soar through Dreamland once more on leathery wings.

_**Half-dragons **are human beings infused with dragon blood (the usual type comes from the European dragon, _Draco occidentalis magnus_) at birth by the Dragon Gods. Their purpose is to protect the few dragons remaining in ways dragonologists and even us wizards could never do. These extraordinary creatures are able to associate themselves with both humans and dragons alike, and in a way, provide a crucial link between human and dragon. Their very existence is vital towards the future of both species._

_Demetrius, Homo magnus, 1561_ **(2)**

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**THE END**

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**(1)** Not true, made it up XP

**(2)** Oh, look at that! _Homo_ from human, and _magnus_ for dragon! I am so clever...

A/N: FINALLY! WE'RE ALL DONE HERE!

Kim and Ed: WOOOO! WE'RE FREEEEE! (run away)

Eliwood: (chase) Wait, Kim, you have to sign these Lackey Transfer papers!

Link: ...-.- (goes away until next fic)

Roy: :3 (follows like a puppy)

Hooray! Now I can get right to the sequel! Please review!


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